Nothing Left to Lose
by Foodie
Summary: Dr. Romano's life turned upside down after his accident. He has choices to make and decides to take on a med student. Can he find meaning to what's become of him? Life doesn't always go as planned, but sometimes it turns out for the better.
1. The Beginning

A/N: Eight years ago I wrote my first fanfiction story. It was an ER story called Work in Progress, about Dr. Romano and an original female character. It had been years since I even thought about the story until one day I decided to reread it. It was atrocious! I've never attempted to rewrite a story before and thought this would be a good candidate. I took small pieces of the original story and used it to set up this one, but this story has quickly spun off into its own new tale. It's still Dr. Romano and an original female character, but very different from the other story. I'm quite enjoying writing it and I hope you enjoy it too! I would definitely consider this an AU, starting around season nine, post helicopter accident, but prior to the permanent amputation.

Nothing Left to Lose

Prologue

Doctor Robert Romano sat in the chair at his desk, looking out the window listlessly. It was a hot day in mid August and he couldn't help but thank his lucky stars that the air conditioning in the building was still functioning. It had been a sweltering summer, and he was looking forward to cooler weather hopefully just around the corner. He watched as an ambulance pulled into the parking area. It brought his thoughts back to surgery. The return to work after his helicopter accident wasn't going quite as planned. Tasks that should have been simple no longer were, and the more complicated ones were all but impossible. He was nearly helpless, though he couldn't bring himself to admit it. He sat in his office, shut off to the world around him, and contemplated what to do. He had been a great surgeon, but that was over now. He knew that, though he still endured hours of physical therapy in hopes of a miracle. Maybe it was time for him to quit his job. But what to do with his life? Retire and spend the rest of his life puttering around his house and his garden? Take up fly fishing? There was nothing else he was so passionate about, and the thought of leaving it behind killed him.

And then there was the subject of ethics. He wasn't able to give patients the care they needed, and in certain situations, it was dangerous for him to be involved. His arm caused him to be rather clumsy at times, and he'd hate to think he had hurt a patient because of that. He knew it wasn't right for him to be attempting to work in the capacity he'd once been able to, but neither he nor anybody else had the heart to say anything about it. It was the white elephant in the room that people did their best to ignore. They were too polite to say anything. He hated them for it.

He was startled out of his self-pity by a knock on the door. "Robert, are you in there?" a woman's voice called out quietly. Elizabeth. She always seemed to know when he needed her.

"Yes, come in, Lizzie," he replied, turning his chair to face her. He watched as she opened the door, closed it, and sat down across from him. She frowned and folded her hands in her lap. "What's the matter?" he asked, furrowing his brow in concern.

"I'm concerned for a friend, Robert," Elizabeth said slowly after a moment's consideration. "He's been lacking all the fire and passion he once had and I just don't know how to help him anymore." Robert sighed and looked down at his left hand, wrapped in its brace as she continued. "I had an idea, though, and I was hoping he'd listen to it. Could I run it past you first to see what you think?"

Robert smiled briefly and laughed softly. "Sure, anything for you, Lizzie," he said quietly.

Elizabeth smiled, reached out her hand and placed it on his good hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze. "My friend is a great surgeon, but he's had a terrible accident and isn't able to perform surgery anymore. He's terribly sad about it. But I think there's something he could still do if he had an open-enough mind about it. Open-minded isn't always a strong suit of his, you see. Anyway, I feel it could be a wonderful opportunity for him," she said, looking into Robert's eyes. "You see, as a surgeon, he helps one person at a time. He does a great job, don't get me wrong, but it's still one person at a time. But, if he taught others how to be a surgeon, then they'd go out into the world and help hundreds of people. If he realized that by passing on his knowledge, he'd be healing far more people than he is now, I think he might just consider it. What do you think?"

Robert sighed and thought about her words for a minute. Teaching? Was that really for him? It had come up in the past after his accident but he'd never considered it as a real option before. Teaching required so much patience and a certain level of kindness and caring that he wasn't sure he could muster for others. Surgery was perfect for him because it meant that he generally didn't have to deal with the patient when they were awake and interacting with him. Could he see himself standing in front of a classroom, with a chalkboard and an overhead projector? He shuddered at the thought. But the idea of passing on his knowledge was appealing on some level. Knowing that people all over the country or even the world would receive care because of the information he shared, was a powerfully attractive thought.

"I don't know if I'm cut out to be a teacher, Lizzie," he finally said, shrugging his shoulders. "I just can't see myself in a classroom setting, giving lectures and grading papers. Maybe I should just retire, move to the Bahamas or something."

Elizabeth frowned. "Perhaps you should, Robert, but I think you should really think long and hard about teaching. Maybe not in a classroom setting, but maybe the right opportunity will present itself to you and you'll know what to do at that time. Just…think about it, all right?" With that, she stood up, and walked to the door.

"I'll think about it," he replied as she walked out the door, shutting it behind her. When she was gone, Robert turned his chair to face the window again, and did just that.

Doctor Romano's day had been horrible. It had started off with five hours of meetings that had run three hours late. When he made it back to his office, he had to deal with a stack of phone messages an inch thick left to him by his secretary. Later on in the evening, he went to his physical therapy appointment and endured excruciating pain for what felt like an eternity.

Ever since his accident, he'd been even harder to deal with by the people who worked with him. Somehow, he felt less miserable when those around him felt more. This was his attitude as he walked down the stairs into the ER. He looked around for Kerry Weaver or Lizzie, or somebody else, anybody else, to lift his spirits. As he glanced around, people's faces darted in and out of his field of vision. He headed toward the admit desk to see who was there when he came across a small group of people huddled in the middle of the hall.

A grin rippled across his face for a moment as his sights zeroed in on them. Fresh meat, he thought to himself as he walked over to them. There were two students, speaking quietly to one another. One looked angry, the other looked bored. There was a third student as well. She wasn't a part of the group. She was busily taking notes and walking around a little, taking everything in.

"Well, what have we here?" Romano barked upon arrival, causing the bored student to jump and look wide-eyed at him in shock. She wasn't even worth his time. "New med students I presume?"

The angry-looking one frowned and rolled his eyes. "Do you know who's in charge here? We've been here all day long and nobody has been able to direct us or show us what to do! This day's been a complete waste of my time," he grumbled.

Romano frowned and narrowed his eyes. Anybody who knew him would have been cowering in fear by now. The angry med student had no idea what was in store for him, poor kid. "I'm terribly sorry the ER staff hasn't been up to your high standards," Robert replied curtly. "As Chief of Staff, I take it upon myself to make sure the needs of any med student are met and filled. Why don't you all call it a day, and come back tomorrow? I'm sure I'll be able to find the perfect assignments for you by then." Like bedpan duty, he thought to himself.

The two students scurried off, leaving the wandering one to herself. Apparently she hadn't even noticed what had just transpired. Romano was curious to see her notes, and approached her. When he was standing next to her, she finally noticed him for the first time. "Oh!" she exclaimed, obviously startled. "Where did the others go?" Her startled look turned to one of confusion and concern.

"Home," Romano replied.

"Oh," the young woman said again, this time in disappointment. "Am I supposed to go too?"

"Not if you don't want to," he said, holding his good hand out. "Do you mind if I look at your notes? You can always tell how good a student is by how his notes look." With that, he ripped the notebook out of her hands and started flipping through them. They were very organized, with meticulous handwriting. There were names, and detailed physical descriptions of each nurse and doctor in the ER, as well as an annotated diagram of the entire floor. Thorough would be an understatement. She wouldn't be getting lost any time soon, that was for sure. "Looks like you made good use of your day," he said after a couple minutes. He handed the notebook back to her, and watched as she clutched it tightly against her chest as though it were a shield.

"I tried to, though it would have been nice to have done some medical procedures," she said with a nod. "I feel so ready for them, you know?" The young woman looked closely at the doctor for a moment before smiling broadly. "You're Robert Romano, aren't you? I've read about you. You have quite a reputation."

Robert raised his eyebrows and tilted his head slightly. "You've read about me? What sorts of things have you read about me?" he asked curiously.

"Uh, well, the articles I read made it sound like you're quite a passionate man when it comes to surgery, particularly when it involves mechanical and scientific advances. I find it quite fascinating, actually," the young woman replied eagerly.

Robert smiled and held out his working hand. "What's your name?" he asked while taking her hand and shaking it thoroughly.

"Melanie Hahn, but you can call me Mel if you like," Mel said with another smile of her own. Her hand hurt when he was finished with it. The man was quite strong!

"What else do those articles say about me?" Robert asked while taking hold of her elbow and steering her towards the ER exit. He kept her talking about him as they made their way to Doc Magoo's. Mel seemed to be unaware of their change of venue until they'd been seated and she'd had a menu placed in front of her.

"Oh, I suppose it's dinner time," Mel said while opening her menu. "The prices seem reasonable, that's always nice."

Robert, feeling uncharacteristically charitable, due in large part to having just had his ego stroked, waved his hand at her. "This is my treat," he said.

"Oh, but…" Mel started, but seeing the resolve in the man's eyes, stopped. "Thank you," she replied instead. She looked at the menu and weighed her options. "Which is better, the burgers or the fish and chips?"

"Neither," Robert answered, "I'd go with the steak, personally. It's just about the only thing here that isn't horrible."

Mel ordered the same as Robert, and they sat talking as they waited for their food. He had just told her having spent several summers in Philadelphia working his way through med school, when their food arrived. He stopped in midsentence and looked down at his plate. How could he have been so stupid, ordering food he'd have to cut? He felt anger well up inside him. He shouldn't have to worry about simple things like this!

Without thinking, Robert suddenly stood up and stepped out of their booth. "I just need to wash up. I'll be right back," he said, hoping that he could calm down.

Mel bit her lip and watched Dr. Romano walk into the restroom. Was she supposed to offer to cut his meat? Instinctively, she knew that would humiliate him more than he already was. What was the proper etiquette for a situation such as this? She wondered if Emily Post ever had to deal with such a complex issue. After a moment of debating with herself, she picked up her fork and steak knife, pulled the doctor's plate towards her, and quickly cut his steak into bite-sized pieces. When she'd finished, she cut his baked potato open as well. Then she did the exact same thing to her own plate, so they matched.

Mel was waiting quietly when Robert returned. He was going to have to ask her for help, though he'd almost rather starve. He was surprised to see his plate as he sat down. He looked up at Mel and opened his mouth to speak. "It was like that when they served it," she interrupted, "You just didn't notice it. Mine too, see?" She pointed down to her plate and smiled.

Robert was silent for a moment before picking up his fork and taking a bite. "Thanks," he murmured.

"For what?" Mel asked through a mouthful of potato.


	2. The Game

The next morning, Mel returned to the hospital, in hopes that there would be enough time to get assigned to a good doctor. What she found, however, was Doctor Romano standing with her fellow students, yelling at another doctor.

"What do you mean you want them all for the whole day?" the other doctor, a short red-head with a crutch, asked. "They need to get paired off and start their assignments!" Mel cringed at how shrill her voice was. She hoped she didn't get paired off with her; it would be terrible to listen to that all day, every day.

"If you were so eager for them, you'd have done this yesterday, instead of leaving them to stand around unattended! Don't sound so self-righteous, Kerry!" Romano shot back.

Mel joined the other students, and watched as the two doctors continued to argue for a couple more minutes. The argument ended in Romano's favor, as a multiple trauma arrived, causing the other doctor to hurry away to help. Doctor Romano turned to the students and grinned triumphantly. Mel's stomach fluttered with nerves as he looked in turn at each of them. She had a feeling she would be getting a very different look at the man she'd dined with the previous evening.

After a minute, Romano reached into his lab-coat pocket and pulled out three pieces of paper. He folded them up and handed one to each of the students. "Today, you will be tested on how well you can read and interpret instructions," he explained. "A student who wishes to succeed must do well in both of these areas. If you can't handle simple instructions, then you're in the wrong field. So, if you interpret these papers correctly, then you will receive more instructions. Interpret them incorrectly, and it's game over for you. You may work together if you wish, but then any credit or blame must be shared. The winner will be given a most wondrous prize that is sure to brighten and enlighten your life. You may begin now." With that, he walked away from them, and made his way to the elevator. "I'll be in my office. Good luck, you're going to need it."

Mel watched as he walked onto the elevator. What was going on? After he'd disappeared, she looked down at the paper in her hand and read what it said: "What's black and white and red all over? I'm starting you off easy." She furrowed her brow. A riddle? Was this his idea of a joke?

"There are so many answers to that joke," Tina Smith, the bored student from the day before, said with a frown.

"This is so stupid," Fred Jones, the angry student, added.

Mel thought about the clue. It had to be something that was at the hospital or nearby at least. She walked to the windows, looked towards Doc Magoo's, and noticed a newspaper stand next to the diner. It was worth looking into, so she started for the door, and walked outside, the others following in her wake. As she handed the man at the stand money for a paper, he handed her one, as well as a folded up piece of paper. "There you go, Miss," he said. "Good luck."

Mel grinned at the man and thanked him. The rest of the morning flew past as the three medical students were sent on a scavenger hunt through the entire hospital. Each clue led them to a new floor or a new person and oftentimes there was a task they had to do first before receiving their next clue.

They had just finished in the Pedes ward when they got a clue that stopped them cold: "Rabbits are dreadful in onions, liver or gravy, yuck."

"Now what in the world does that mean?" Fred asked huffily.

"It's all about food, maybe we're supposed to go to the cafeteria," Tina suggested.

"Well that sounds as good as any other idea I can think of," Fred replied as they turned and headed to the elevator to go to the cafeteria.

Mel stood where she was and continued to ponder the clue. There was something odd about it. She couldn't put her finger on it exactly, but—aha! There it was! A quick rereading confirmed to her where she needed to go. When the others had left her behind, she turned to the stairs and ran up the two flights to Radiology. She was greeted by a technician who made her read several x-rays correctly before handing her the next clue.

The clue took her outside of the building and over to Doc Magoo's to order a turkey sandwich on whole wheat. The waitress dropped off the next and final clue with the food. Mel was instructed to take the food and anything else she'd gathered along the way, up to Dr. Romano's office.

Dr. Romano was sitting at his desk, looking at his watch when he heard a knock on the door. "Finally! Come in!" he barked. The door opened and when Mel entered the room, heavily laden with the items from the game, he smiled. "I had a feeling it would be you," he said while standing up and helping her put the items down on his desk.

Mel took a deep breath and looked at him. "I have your newspaper, the x-ray results, the blood tests results, a contraband Snickers bar, two packs of Juicy Fruit, a Pepsi, and your lunch," she said in one breath. "I did get your coffee, but as it was so early in the day, it would have been cold by now. So I drank it. I'd say it's been a rather productive day so far, if I do say so myself."

Romano nodded in agreement while picking up the sandwich from its wrapping and handing half of it to her. "Sit," he instructed before sitting back down behind his desk. "So, did you have fun?"

Mel smiled. "So much fun! I love puzzles and riddles like that," she exclaimed.

"And when did you ditch the others?"

"Your radiology clue. They thought it was about lunch and went to the cafeteria," Mel said with a wicked grin. "They're probably still there now."

Robert laughed, and was surprised at how good it felt. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed. "And I see you didn't volunteer the right answer to them. That shows a potential for deviousness, always a valued trait in a doctor." Robert laughed again at the shocked look on Mel's face. He waved his hand at her. "We'll send a rescue crew in a while," he assured her when he'd composed himself.

"I like how all the clues led to us doing stuff for you. I bet we'd have picked up your dry-cleaning too if it was nearby," Mel quipped in between bites of her sandwich.

"Sassy!" Robert cried. "I like that in a girl, it suits you. I definitely think you're the one for the job."

"What job?"

"Being my med student."

Mel was chewing when he said this and didn't have time to swallow. "Wha?"

"I have decided to take one of you on as my protégé," Robert explained. "I'll join you for your ER rotation, and then again for your surgical rotation." He stood up and walked over to her. "Hold out your hands," he instructed.

Mel took the last bite of her sandwich and held her hands out to him. She really had no idea what was transpiring, but it was easier to go along with it than to fight it. Robert took her hands in his and held them up. "Small, delicate, though the fingers are a bit short," he remarked, turning her hands over and looking at them very carefully. "They should do."

Mel flushed as she watched him touching her hands. He was very gentle, running his fingertips over her hands, sending thrills all the way up her arms. She breathed in sharply and looked into his eyes. They were staring right back at her. "Thanks," she whispered, pulling away from him.

Dr. Romano cleared his throat and smiled awkwardly. "Well, we have quite a bit of time left today, so why don't I give you a more structured tour of this place?" He took her by the elbow and began to lead her to his door. She walked eagerly with him, allowing him to keep his hand on her the entire time. "There's somebody I'd like to introduce you to." He led them down the hallway to an office and knocked on the door. "Lizzie, are you in there?" he called out while opening the door. "I want you to meet somebody."

As Romano pulled Mel into the room, the woman in the office hung up her telephone. Mel looked at her. She was about Dr. Romano's age, with curly red hair, and was smiling at them. Mel clasped her hands and looked at the floor, feeling shy at having to meet somebody new so suddenly.

"Lizzie, this is Melanie Hahn, my new med student," Dr. Romano said, giving Mel an enthusiastic push forward. "Melanie, this is Dr. Elizabeth Corday, one of County's finest surgeons."

"Pleased to meet you, Dr. Corday," Mel said quietly, smiling shyly at her.

"It's lovely to meet you too, Miss Hahn," Dr. Corday said, standing up and shaking Mel's hand. "Robert, you didn't tell me you were going to take on a med student so quickly," she continued, turning to Dr. Romano. "How do you think Weaver will take this?"

Romano shrugged his shoulders. "Well, what can I say? I was inspired by a good friend, and the opportunity presented itself to me. I couldn't resist," he replied while walking over to Mel and putting his good arm over her shoulders. "Melanie and I here have a good rapport and I think she'll do just brilliantly under my tutelage."

Dr. Corday looked at her friend carefully, trying to figure out just what exactly was going on. He was being awfully chummy with that girl. She wondered if poor Melanie really knew what she was getting herself into by agreeing to this arrangement. Melanie looked a little bit dazed and confused, to Elizabeth's eyes. What had Robert done? She had envisioned Robert teaching a class or writing a book, not taking on a student one-on-one. Or at least taking on a male student if he had to. What was his ulterior motive? He always had one…

Finally, Elizabeth smiled. "I'm sure you will both learn a lot from one another," she said carefully. "And Miss Hahn, my door is always open if you would ever wish to chat." Or cry, she thought to herself.

Mel smiled and thanked her as Dr. Romano began to guide her out of the office. "Let's head down to the cafeteria and rescue the rest of your genius classmates," he said while shutting the door.

The two walked in silence towards the elevator. Robert took the opportunity to gather his thoughts. This was happening so quickly, was he making the right decision by taking on a med student? This could turn out to be an unmitigated disaster, but then again, he hadn't gotten where he was in life by not taking chances. Besides, there wasn't much more that could happen to him if this didn't work out. Weaver and who knows who else was gunning for his job. He had already contemplated retirement, so what did it matter? It was like Lizzie had said: he had a chance to save lives by teaching this girl everything he knew. So, that's what he intended to do.

Robert thought about his dinner with Melanie the night before. He appreciated the way she'd allowed him to save face, and he'd never sensed any sort of pity from her. She seemed to accept him just as he was, physically at least. He'd been on his best behavior so far, seeing as she hadn't given him any reason not to be. But that didn't mean she would never be subjected to the full Rocket treatment someday. He had a reputation to uphold after all.

He looked at her as they walked. She was twisting her long light brown hair in her fingers and biting her lower lip. Her hazel eyes were full of worries. She was a combination of nerves and excitement, just as he was sure he'd been as a third year med student just starting out. Everything was fresh and new and adventurous. "Will I get to try anything out today?" she asked curiously as they left the elevator. "I've done so much reading and I'm so ready to try it out!"

Romano took her by the elbow again and steered her towards the cafeteria. "First things first," he chuckled. "We need to find the others, and then we'll need to get you a lab coat. Then we can take a look at the board and see what looks good. Oh, and we'll have to tell Weaver about our arrangement. I know she'll be thrilled."

Just as they had suspected, the other two students were sitting glumly at a table in the cafeteria. "Well, it looks like it's game over for you two," Romano barked at them. "You'll have to deal with the consolation prize of being paired off with the ER doctors. I'm sure they'll love to know they have such smart students." He turned and started to leave the room, all three of the students scurrying after him to catch up. They walked to the admit desk before stopping again.

Dr. Weaver was standing behind the desk, reading a chart, and looked over at them. "Finished with them finally Robert?" she asked with a frown.

"Yes, you are welcome to these two. They didn't pass my test," Romano replied, pointing to the two students who now looked quite upset. "I will, however, be keeping this one. She did pass the test." He placed his hand on Melanie's shoulder and squeezed it possessively.

Dr. Weaver's frown deepened. "What do you mean 'keeping her'? She has to be assigned to a doctor like the others."

"I am a doctor, or at least that's what this white jacket I'm wearing says," Romano replied coolly. "I will be overseeing Miss Hahn's ER and OR rotations. And perhaps any other rotations I feel like."

"But you're Chief of Staff, you can't—"

"I'm Chief of Staff, Kerry. I think I can."

Melanie felt like a ping pong ball being hit back and forth. Her stomach was knotting up with nerves as she thought about what all of this meant for her relationship with the other doctors and students. Clearly Dr. Romano wasn't a popular man around the hospital, and if she associated herself with him, that unpopularity would transfer to her. Did she want that? But he also had all the power of his position backing him up. If she turned down his offer, he could make her life miserable, which it seemed was something he was rather good at. So, did she want to endure the wrath of Romano or the hatred of everybody else?

She looked over at Dr. Romano, who, though he was arguing, she could tell was enjoying it. His eyes were bright, his cheeks were pink, and he still had his hand on her shoulder. He was fighting for her. It was flattering, and that's when she made her choice. He was fighting for her. She would stay with him.


	3. Getting Started

A/N: Since the settings on won't keep my page breaks that I was making I am testing out something different. Hopefully they will stay and be rather obvious because I find it really annoying that they go away when I post a chapter! Happy Reading!

The battle had raged on for several minutes until Dr. Weaver threw up her hands in defeat and walked away. The two other students had been paired up shortly thereafter, and now Dr. Romano was waiting outside the women's restroom while Melanie changed into a lab jacket and prepared herself. Someday she'd be in blue scrubs, but for now he'd have to be content with the lab jacket.

When Melanie emerged from the restroom, she looked quite different. She had tied her hair back into a ponytail, and he could see her face better now, and noted that she had a lovely smile. They were the same height, which made it much easier for him to look into her warm hazel eyes. They were full of life, and he decided they were quite lovely as well. It was also difficult to not get caught up in her excitement. She was nearly bouncing in her pink tennis shoes as she clutched at the stethoscope in her hands. "Can we go now? Please?" she cried.

"All right, all right," Romano replied. "Let's find somebody to help out." They walked over to the board and looked at it. "There's a head lac or a kid with stomach cramps," he said. "Pretty light afternoon I'd say."

"No gunshot wounds or strokes or something big?" Mel asked, looking disappointed at her choices.

"No, and even if there were, I wouldn't start you off on that. Baby steps, Miss Hahn, baby steps," Romano replied. "Why don't we do the head lac? You'll be able to whet your appetite for surgery and I'll be able to critique your technique. Sounds like my idea of a lovely afternoon."

Mel was nervous as they walked to the curtained-off bed where the woman with the head laceration was lying. Doing sutures was quite an important procedure, and up to now she'd only ever tried them on cadavers. Trying them on somebody who moved and breathed would be much scarier. Knowing Dr. Romano was going to be critiquing her only increased the pressure.

"Hello, Mrs. Morrison, I'm Dr. Romano and this is my med student Miss Hahn. We'll be taking care of you today," Romano said in greeting. He talked Mel through the entire process, but allowed her to do each step herself. She felt a thrill while doing it, even though it must have seemed small and insignificant to Dr. Romano.

The only time he stepped in was to help guide her hand so it stayed at the correct angle. She could feel him looking over her shoulder the entire time. She hoped she was doing ok. When she'd finished, she smiled at Mrs. Morrison. "All done," she announced. "Looks like you should be home in time for dinner. Just make sure to take it easy tonight. Make your husband do the dishes."

Mrs. Morrison smiled at her. "I'm so glad this didn't take too long," she replied. "I left my sauerbraten in the oven."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Mel enthused. "I haven't had that in years. Do you make yours with gingersnaps? That's the way my grandmother makes it."

A brief conversation unfolded, ending with Mrs. Morrison borrowing Mel's notebook and pen and writing down her recipe for her. "You'll just love it, dear," she promised before taking her leave.

Mel folded up the recipe and slipped it into her pocket before turning to look at Dr. Romano. A grin spread across her face. "So, how did I do?" she asked.

Romano looked carefully at her, taking his time to decide what he thought. "I think you did well on your first attempt," he finally said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. It wouldn't do for her to grow too confident too soon. "However," he added, "you will need to keep the chitchat to a minimum. No more recipe exchanges."

Robert did think she'd done an exemplary job with the sutures, though her left hand wasn't quite up to snuff. He'd have to work with her on strengthening it. A surgeon needed both hands working in tandem. But, he could see her potential.

The two worked for a couple more hours on simple things until Romano told her it was time to go home. "Go on, get out of here. You've earned a good night's sleep," he said, giving Mel a playful push toward the women's locker room.

(SCENE)

Mel slept soundly that night, and woke up the next morning feeling the effects of the long day before, but still full of excitement about what this day would bring. There were just so many possibilities, and she couldn't wait.

Dr. Romano had spent part of his evening pondering what to do to help strengthen Melanie's hand. After ruling out some interactive exercises of a more explicit nature, he came up with a few ideas, perhaps a bit unconventional, but he thought she'd respond well to them. He would have to do some shopping, but that would be no problem.

He stopped at a couple stores in the morning before driving to the hospital. He'd start her off slowly. It had been quite a task, but he'd managed to remove the lid from a tube of tennis balls by the time he found Melanie in the lounge.

"Morning, sunshine," Romano called out while lobbing one of the balls at her. He cringed as the ball hit her in the forehead, bounced back off again, and ricocheted off the window across from where she was seated. She yelped and looked up at him, wide-eyed. "You were supposed to catch that," he informed her.

"You hit me!" Mel exclaimed while rubbing her forehead. She frowned at him.

"Well, next time, catch it," Romano replied. "It's time to start working on strengthening your left hand, so, I got some things to help you out. But I think we'll just play with my balls for a while first." He laughed at the horrified look on Melanie's face, and shook the can he was still holding. "Relax, Miss Hahn, I meant the tennis balls. Really, what did you think I meant? Such a dirty mind." It was fun to watch her blush.

Mel thought she was going to sink into the floor and die of humiliation. She was no good in these sorts of situations. Was he making fun of her? Or just teasing her in a friendly fashion? She didn't know him very well, so she couldn't read him yet. She decided the best way to handle the situation was to change the subject. "Uh, so, do you think there will be more interesting patients today?" she asked primly.

"There always are," Romano replied while setting down his packages and walking over to her. "Listen, I wanted to go over a couple things with you now that we're working together. Just so that we're clear, all right? We didn't have time to discuss this yesterday." He continued after Mel nodded her head. "I will be allowing you to do a lot of the work on your own, because I think that's the best way to learn. I'll be there to show you how, and walk you through it, but for the most part, you'll be doing it yourself. There are two things that are really important, though. One, you need to ask for help when you need it. Perfection cannot be achieved by trying to pretend you know what you're doing. And two, if I ever give you an order, particularly in an emergency situation, I need to you to do it without asking any questions. I know what I'm doing and talking about and it could be a matter of life or death. Particularly yours if you don't obey. Are we clear?"

"Yes Dr. Romano," Mel said quietly, nodding her head again. Her heart pounded to hear how serious his tone of voice was. He could be very intimidating sometimes.

"All right then, let's go find a patient." Romano took her by the elbow again and led her out of the lounge.

Hours flew by as the two worked side-by-side. Mel listened to every word Dr. Romano said, and asked copious amounts of questions. She wondered how he never seemed to grow tired of her constantly picking his brain, and after a while started thinking that perhaps he actually enjoyed it. From what she'd ever heard, most of the doctors the med students were assigned to were rather contemptuous of them. She was glad that this didn't seem the case for her, for now at least.

Later that afternoon, Dr. Romano helped Melanie through a rather simple procedure that required starting an IV drip. "Go ahead and get the IV started," Romano said, looking carefully at her.

Mel took a deep breath and held up the needle and tubing, feeling helpless. She stood for a few seconds, debating whether or not to try it on her own even though she'd never attempted one before, or to ask for help. Finally, she shook her head and turned to Dr. Romano. "Will you show me how, please?" she asked, blushing with humiliation again.

Dr. Romano walked her through the steps, and placed his hand on hers to guide the needle into the patient's arm. She felt another thrill at his touch, but brushed it aside as they continued with their procedure.

When they'd finished, Dr. Romano took Melanie into the suture room so they could have some privacy. "Miss Hahn, I feel that you need to practice your needlework, so you will spend the rest of the afternoon working on it. IVs and blood draws are simple procedures, but they are very important ones. And since you're owed one for me having hit you this morning, I thought you could try it out on me. _After_ you've practiced on this," he said, holding out a life-like arm made out of plastic that had been in a drawer.

Mel's eyes widened. "I can't do one on you…That's…" she stammered.

"Nonsense," Romano replied as he walked towards the door. "I trust you will have perfected this in an hour or so, so I'll to leave you to it. I'll be up in my office if you need me." Having nothing else to say, he left, shutting the door behind him.

Mel looked around, feeling overwhelmed. Dr. Romano would be back in an hour expecting her to stick a needle in his arm. Was he crazy? Well, she had to get practicing if she was going to succeed and not mutilate her mentor.

(SCENE)

Robert was sitting in his office, working on a stack of files and wondering how much pain he'd be in after allowing Melanie to mutilate his arm, when there was a knock on his door. "Come in," he called out without looking up from his papers.

"Robert, I wanted to see how things were going with Miss Hahn," Lizzie said as she entered the room and sat down across from him. "I haven't seen you since you introduced her to me. She must be keeping you on your toes…"

Robert set down his pen and looked at her. "She is keeping me very busy," he said in agreement. "But she's a fast learner, and she's quite good at everything I have her do. She's already done sutures and I'm planning on working with her to strengthen her left hand. She's downstairs now practicing blood draws on a plastic arm. I told her I'd allow her to try it on me."

Elizabeth blanched at that. "You're letting her do a blood draw on you? Are you mad?"

"I figured it would inspire her to work really hard. Knowing that she has to test it out on me is a pretty good motivation, wouldn't you say?" he replied with a grin.

"I can't imagine how terrified that poor girl must be right now."

"Well, terrified or not Lizzie, she'd better be perfect at it in an hour's time. I don't have time to waste on silly students who don't learn quickly and well. If I have to light a fire under Melanie's feet to hurry her along, then I will."

Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. "Don't abuse that poor girl too badly, Robert," she admonished. "You don't want her to need therapy by the time she's finished her rotations."

"Relax, Lizzie, I'm acting like a perfectly gentle and sweet human being to her. Besides, she obeys everything I tell her to do without complaint, so I haven't needed to be my usual self to her."

"That's probably because she doesn't know you very well yet," Elizabeth quipped.

"Well hopefully I'll be able to rectify that soon enough. I hope to get to know her very well. She's a sweet kid, Lizzie. Young, innocent, and I'd be willing to bet good money, on virginal."

"Robert!" Elizabeth gasped.

"Don't worry, Lizzie, I promise to be gentle with her. I'll do my best to not make her cry. Feel better?"

Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. "You are incorrigible, you know. Just please, please be kind to her. I think this could be a good experience for you if you try hard."

"Lizzie, I will hold her hand the whole time, and if it will ease your worries, I'll promise to be nice to her, and tuck her into bed at night, kiss her forehead and sing her a lullaby. Will that make you happy?"

"I suppose it'll have to."

"Tell you what, why don't you come with me to watch Melanie stick me with a needle? Maybe she'll miss and you can cackle with delight all you want at my misfortune."

"Oh, I don't think it would be fair to put her on the spot like that. She won't want an audience for this."

Robert looked at his watch and stood up. "Well, at least you can't say I didn't give you a chance," he replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep."

"Good luck…" Elizabeth said in parting as they left his office.

Robert walked slowly down the stairs to the ER. He again had to wonder why he was doing what he was doing. In the back of his mind, a thought had begun to develop and grow. A thought he tried to suppress, but it was too big to ignore now. He was doing this because he had nothing to lose. He could throw all of his attention into teaching Melanie because there was nothing else he was capable of doing anymore. That was the sad truth of it.

It was that depressing thought that filled his mind as he walked into the quiet suture room to see Melanie's pretty face, concentrating on her task. "I hope you've managed to perfect your technique, Miss Hahn," he said quietly.

Melanie looked up from the plastic arm she'd been working on. "I think so," she replied. "Are you really sure you want me to try it on you?"

Romano shrugged out of his lab coat and held out his right arm to her. "Yes," he said. "You'll have to roll my sleeve up, if you don't mind."

"Your good arm…I thought you'd want me to use…" Mel stopped herself and bit her lip, turning away to put on a pair of gloves in hopes of calming herself down. She took a deep breath and started rolling up his sleeve for him. Without speaking, she began the task of drawing Dr. Romano's blood. The first thing she did was wipe off the area with an alcohol wipe. Next, she tied the rubber tie around his arm, and tapped the inside of his elbow with her fingertips, testing for a vein. When she'd found a good one, she opened a new needle, and tried to keep her hand from trembling as she carefully injected it into him. She undid the rubber tie and watched the blood flow into the vile attached to the needle. "It's working," she murmured. "Does it hurt?"

"No more than usual," Romano replied. "You did it correctly."

Mel looked up from the needle, and into his eyes. They were looking intently into hers. She felt nervous again, though not from the medical procedure she was doing. "Uh, I think it's done now," she said, tearing her eyes from his and going back to the task at hand. She picked up a cotton ball, placed it on his arm, and carefully slid the needle out of it. Romano bent his elbow to keep the cotton ball in place while she set the needle down on the tray and picked up a roll of tape. He opened his elbow again to allow her to tape the cotton ball down, and noted that she kept her hands on his arm when she'd finished.

After a few seconds, Mel realized what she was doing, and took her hands off his arm. She cleared her throat, willed herself not to blush yet again, and picked up the vial of Romano's blood. "What should we do with this?" she asked.

"Run the usual tests on it, so you can see what the results look like," Robert said quietly. He looked across the table at her, and smiled earnestly. "You're doing an extraordinary job, for only having been here a few days. Tomorrow I think we can move onto something more complex. If you keep up this progress, I'll let you join in on some of the traumas in a week or so. But I think it's good to take it slow and perfect each task before moving on to the next."

Mel smiled and nodded her head. "I think that makes total sense," she replied. She sighed and clutched her stomach. "I'm so hungry. Do you mind if I take a lunch break? I haven't eaten since before I got here this morning."

Romano looked at his watch and frowned. "It's after four, that's way too long to go without a meal," he said, standing up. "Come on, I'll buy you lunch. It's tuna-melt day in the cafeteria."

(SCENE)

After lunch and a fun conversation about the best cases Romano had ever had over his years as a surgeon, Mel found herself outside the hospital, with a tennis ball in one hand, and Dr. Romano's tennis racket in the other. "Hold the racket in your left hand, and hit the ball against the wall," he called out to her from the door. It was drizzling outside, he wasn't about to go out there.

Mel put the racket in her left hand, and didn't like how awkward it felt. She threw the ball into the air and attempted to make contact with it, and managed to hit it with the rim, sending the ball rolling across the ambulance bay.

Robert laughed. "Keep trying," he called out to her. "Try your backhand too!"

"I feel like I'm the Karate Kid and you're Mr. Miyagi!" Mel called back, shaking her head and trying again.

"Hey, that's a good idea; maybe later I'll let you wax my car!" He shut the door, and returned to his office, allowing Mel to practice alone.

Mel practiced for over an hour, until she was sweating, despite the drizzle. She had never been a tennis player, and wasn't very good at it, but she'd managed to make some progress, and had improved her hand-eye coordination. When she stopped to rest, it cooled off rather quickly, and she was soon shivering in the wet, cool evening air. Her hair was dripping from the wet, and half of it had come loose from her ponytail, to hang in clumps against her face. She went back inside, deciding that practice was done for the day, and went up to Dr. Romano's office to drop off the ball and racket.

"Is there anything else you wanted me to do today, Dr. Romano?" she asked him after setting the equipment down on the floor.

Robert looked up from his paperwork and laughed. "Nice hairdo," he said. "It's a good look for you."

"Gee, thanks…"

Robert looked at his door for a second, mentally calculating something. "Actually, there is one last thing you can do today before you go," he said, standing up and circling her, looking at her from all sides. "How would you like to help me play a joke on somebody?"

(SCENE)

Mel couldn't believe she had agreed to go along with this, but didn't see the harm in it. It was only going to be a bit of fun. She walked into the women's shower room and took the clasp out of her dripping hair, allowing it all to fall around her shoulders and face. Next she grabbed two towels and hurried back to Dr. Romano's office. She handed him one, and sat down in the chair next to his.

When they heard the knock on the door, Mel began to towel off her hair and Romano picked up his towel in his good hand. "Robert, Miss Hahn, I just stopped by to see how everything went today," Elizabeth said with a smile. "I heard about the big procedure Robert allowed you to perform on him. I'm sure you did just fine."

"Oh yes, it was a huge success," Mel replied with a smile. "Dr. Romano didn't cry or anything! And then when we were done, he showed me the proper way to scrub in for surgery."

"Did he? That was nice of him," Elizabeth said.

"Yes, it was. We've just finished up in the shower actually. Dr. Romano told me that you all shower before and after each surgery, but that you double up in the showers so you can save money and not waste water. He's such an environmentalist," Mel said in an enamored tone, trying to retain her composure. "He said it was his idea to turn the shower rooms co-ed, but they haven't changed the signs yet. I had no idea you all had to do so much scrubbing to do surgery. Luckily it's easy to get those hard-to-reach places when you have somebody else in the shower with you."

Elizabeth's smile faded and she folded her arms. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she turned her gaze on Robert. "You couldn't go more than two days before coming onto this poor girl!" she cried. "And after you gave me your word that you would treat her nicely. Robert, how could you?"

As she continued to sputter, Robert began to laugh. After a couple seconds, Mel joined in. "Robert, this is serious," Elizabeth said angrily. "You could lose your job and Melanie could be thrown out of school!"

"Lizzie, relax," Robert said, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Nothing happened, I promise you."

"He's right, Dr. Corday," Mel added. "My hair got wet outside and we just decided to play a prank, that's all. It was just for fun."

Elizabeth scowled and looked at both of them before shaking her head. "That was…actually, it was sort of funny…" she said with a chuckle. "All right, I can take a joke. But, I think I'm entitled to some form of payback. To be determined and exacted at my choice. For both of you…"

"I suppose that's fair," Mel said, feeling nervous about what Dr. Corday might do to her.

"Lizzie, you are many things, but I don't think prankster is one of them. It's just not in you," Robert said in a challenging tone.

Elizabeth looked into his eyes and tilted her head. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see, shan't we?" With that, she turned and exited his office without another word.

"Should we be worried?" Mel asked anxiously, clutching her towel against her.

"Honestly? I have no idea," Dr. Romano replied, looking out at Lizzie as she walked away.


	4. First Week Ends

Doctor Romano was true to his word on Thursday, and allowed Melanie to work on some more difficult cases. They were also unpleasant ones, like draining abscesses. Romano claimed that it was to see her skills with a scalpel, but she thought he was secretly taking great delight over her discomfort. The smell alone from the infections was stomach-turning. After completing her first one, she politely excused herself from the room and made it to the restroom just in time to be sick. When she was done, she sat on the floor in the stall for a few minutes, contemplating her intestinal fortitude, and wondering if she was making the right career choice.

"Are you all right?" a concerned voice called out to her.

Mel carefully got to her feet and opened the stall door. "I think so," she replied. "I just drained my first abscess and…"

The woman laughed lightly and patted Mel's arm sympathetically. "Don't worry, everybody pukes the first time they drain one," she reassured her.

"Really? That makes me feel a lot better," Mel said weakly before rinsing her mouth out and washing her face.

"You will get used to it eventually."

Mel looked at the woman's jacket to see the name on it: S. Lewis. "I sure hope so. Thanks, Dr. Lewis," she said with a smile.

"You're Romano's student, aren't you? We haven't seen much of you. He seems to keep you locked away in the suture room most of the time," Dr. Lewis replied. "Melanie, right?"

"Call me Mel," she said with a nod.

"And you can call me Susan," Susan said. "I'm one of the attendings in the ER. Feel free to come to me with anything if you need help. We're all here to help each other out. I can't imagine it's been easy having Romano as your advisor."

Mel shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't noticed anything horrible so far," she said. "Everybody keeps saying that about him, but I don't know what they're talking about."

Susan's smile faltered momentarily. "Well, maybe he's turned over a new leaf…" she replied. "It's just that he's rather infamous for his tirades. Just be careful to stay on his good side."

"Oh…well, I'd better get back to him then. I don't want him to yell at me," Mel said, feeling uncomfortable to hear such things being said about her mentor. She was startled to find Dr. Romano waiting outside the door for her when she opened it. "Hi," she said quietly, looking embarrassed over having been sick.

Romano reached into his pocket and took out a peppermint candy. "Eat this, it'll make you feel better," he said, placing the sweet into her hand. Susan opened the door to leave the restroom at that moment and gaped at him. "Yes, Lewis?" he asked coolly.

"N-nothing," Susan said, her eyebrows raised. She closed the door behind her and walked away, leaving Romano and Melanie by themselves.

Mel unwrapped the mint and popped it into her mouth. "I feel like such an idiot," she murmured.

"Don't," Romano replied. "It happens to the best of us." Mel sighed and glanced at him. She looked at him curiously but didn't speak. "Yes, even me," he answered her implied question. "It really is normal."

The next few hours were spent with other disgusting tasks, and Mel never quite recovered, but didn't get sick again. When Romano asked her if she wanted to go to lunch, she shook her head. "I don't think I can ever eat again," she replied.

Romano took her by the elbow and led her down the hall. "Come on, it's my treat," he said insistently. "It's soda cracker and ginger ale day in the cafeteria…"

(SCENE)

Mel sipped her pop and nibbled on a cracker while watching Dr. Romano tear into a ham sandwich. "How can you eat that when you've seen and…smelled what we worked on today?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"I promise you, you really will get used to it after a while," Robert said with a smile. "You'll be back to normal in no time."

Mel looked skeptical, but didn't say anything. She glanced around the room. "Why haven't you introduced me to anybody else yet?" she asked, realizing she recognized nobody in the room except for Romano. "How can I work with everybody if I don't even know them?"

Robert set his sandwich down and looked at Melanie, trying to figure out why she was asking him this so suddenly. "I thought keeping you focused on your work was more important than fraternization," he said quietly. "You're here to work and learn, not to socialize."

"Dr. Lewis said that nobody even knows who I am," Mel pouted. "I want to learn all I can, but I feel like I'm invisible here."

Robert considered her words. This was the first time Melanie had been anything but completely obedient and complacent. She was hardly throwing a temper tantrum, but it was a start. It would be difficult to foster this attitude while making sure she remained obedient to him. He knew it was probably her upset stomach talking more than anything else, but maybe he ought to let her meet the other ER doctors and nurses. She would have to work with them soon enough.

When they'd finished eating, they walked back towards the admit desk and were cut off by a gurney being rushed through the doors. Doctors flew into action, wheeling it into one of the rooms. Mel walked to the door and looked in, watching the doctors work to save the man on the gurney. Romano walked over next to her, and grabbed her hand. "Move along, Hahn," he said, gently tugging her in the other direction.

"I want to watch!" she cried, holding his hand tightly so he couldn't move. He decided to give her a couple minutes to watch, and stood next to her, looking into the room. "Tell me what they're doing," she demanded.

Robert talked her through all the procedures they were performing on the man. He explained how they were done and why. All the while, Melanie kept her hand in his, holding it tightly as though she were scared. The door they were standing in front of burst open suddenly as a nurse ran out of the room for something and Robert had just enough time to yank Melanie backwards to keep her from being smashed in the face. She lost her balance and fell against him. He quickly untwined his hand from hers and placed it around her waist, keeping her from falling to the ground.

Mel was breathless and her heart was pounding. After she righted herself, she ran her hands over her hair to smooth it down again, and took a deep breath. Romano still had his hand on her waist and she could feel him gently digging his fingers into her side, holding her tightly against himself.

"You alright?" he asked quietly into her ear. When Mel nodded, he let go of her and started to walk to the admit desk. "Move along, Hahn." This time she followed him without a word.

Robert tried to distract himself from his thoughts while they walked. Her hair smelled like apples and was incredibly soft. He'd gotten a face-full of it when he'd pulled her back towards him. The corner of his mouth twitched into a glimmer of a smile as he thought about how lucky he was to have such a pretty med student who smelled so alluring.

A quick glance at the board showed two patients in need of sutures, so he had Melanie do them while he observed. She was making rapid progress and he couldn't help but feel fiercely proud of her.

Dr. Corday, having just finished with a surgical consult in the ER, stopped by the room on her way back to see if they were there. She joined Robert and together they watched Melanie sew up a patient. "She's quite the seamstress, isn't she?" she said quietly.

Robert nodded in agreement, but kept his eyes on Melanie's hands. Her speed was coming along nicely as well. He glanced out the window. It was raining too hard to send her outside for tennis, but maybe they could try out something else he'd thought of…

"Melanie, you're doing remarkably well," Elizabeth said with a smile once the younger woman had finished and walked over to where they were standing.

"Thanks!" Mel replied happily. "I'm really enjoying it so far. I got to watch a trauma today. Dr. Romano was telling me everything they were doing and it was really exciting. He says he'll let me join in next week maybe, right, Doctor?"

Romano nodded his head. "If you can keep your lunch down over the next few days, I think you'll be ready," he said lightly.

"Dr. Lewis says I'll get used to it eventually, and I really hope so, because I can't live my life eating crackers all the time."

Elizabeth laughed lightly. "Everybody has something that's harder to get past than other things. Just keep working on it," she assured Mel.

Mel nodded. "Oh, Dr. Corday, I was thinking about something," she said, changing the subject. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in a trade." She looked at Elizabeth and waited for her to look confused before continuing. "Dr. Romano's mentioned you have a young daughter. I was thinking that if you wanted, I could do some babysitting for her in exchange for that prank you're going to play on me."

Elizabeth smiled. "That would be wonderful," she said.

"Great! What do you think, maybe the next two Fridays? I can come to your place, stay with your daughter and you can go have some fun on your own."

"Oh, that would be lovely. Just perfect," Elizabeth replied. "Ella's two and a half years old now. I'm sure you'll get on very well with her."

Romano stood in silence, watching the two women strike a deal. He placed his hands on his hips, feeling left out and outdone. "Well this is lovely, seeing you two wheel and deal, but if you don't mind, Miss Hahn needs to return to work now," he interjected. When they didn't stop gabbing, he stepped in between them, placing his hand on Mel's wrist. "All right, let's go find some more boils to lance," he said, tugging on her wrist.

As Mel was pulled behind him out of the room, Elizabeth shook her head and laughed lightly. He was still as obvious as always. She just hoped Melanie had a thick skin, because she would need one.

"Don't think that because you're busy Friday night that I won't be giving you plenty of homework," Romano said coolly as he pulled Melanie back to the admit desk. "That was pretty clever of you, getting out of your prank like that. You have some potential after all. Although, if you hadn't mentioned anything, Lizzie probably would never have gone through with it. So, you just got yourself set up with two weeks of babysitting for nothing. But, you're still learning, and at least you have the master to learn from."

Romano had Melanie work on stomach-turning tasks for the rest of their shift. She was proud to be able to say she held her own and didn't have any issues with her stomach, though she had no appetite whatsoever for the rest of the day.

After her shift ended, she and Dr. Romano went up to his office. She hoped he wouldn't make her play tennis outside again, because the rain was so hard that she couldn't actually see out his window even with the blinds up. "The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play," she quoted while squinting and trying her best to see outside. "You aren't going to make me go out there, are you?" She looked at him imploringly while he walked to his desk.

"No," he assured her. "I have a better idea for today." He reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a box. "Remember this game?" he asked while setting it on the desk for Mel to look at.

Mel looked down at the box and grinned. "Operation! That was one of my favorites! Except for Candy Land which was the best game of all time," she replied with a laugh.

"Candy Land! No way was that the best game of all time," Robert said. "The greatest game ever invented, is Monopoly. You're lucky I didn't bring that, because you would lose so badly you'd probably cry."

Mel laughed and rolled her eyes. "We'll have to play some time, because I'm pretty good at it actually."

Robert opened the box and started setting up the game. "I thought we could make it interesting," he said slowly.

"Uh oh, that's never a good way to start a game," Mel laughed. "Are you going to hustle me?"

"You've only known me for a few days, yet it seems you know me inside and out already," Romano said with a grin. "Actually, I thought you could play with your left hand. It might be fun, and good practice."

"That does sound kind of fun."

"But that's not the interesting part. I thought that for each mistake you make, I get to ask you a question, and you have to answer it."

"Ahhh, the catch. And what about you? Will you have to answer a question of mine if you miss?"

"Well I don't intend to miss, but I suppose on the rare chance that I do, yes, I will."

Mel sat down across from Robert. "All right, let's play," she said. She shuffled the specialist cards and dealt them between herself and Romano. Her first try was on the Adam's Apple, usually a very simple one, however, using her left hand made it much more difficult. "I almost…Ahh!" she cried as the buzzer went off loudly, startling her.

"This isn't looking very good for you, Melanie," Robert said with a grin. "Let's see, what's a good first question? First of many no doubt…What were you in high school?"

"What? I thought I'd have to answer medical questions or something…"

"That's no fun," Robert said, "I want to get to know you. So…What were you in high school? Cheerleader? Band geek? What?"

"I was…a brain, I guess. Always the top of my class, never had much time for fun and games, never time for sports. Though…I was in the glee club. I did enjoy that," Mel replied, blushing at the lameness of her high school experience.

Robert shook his head and sighed. "Of all the options out there, I got landed with a singing nerd…" he said mournfully.

"Hey! It wasn't that bad! And hopefully I'm not so nerdy now…"

Robert smiled. "You seem ok to me," he assured her. "All right, it's my turn to play."

They played for over an hour, and Robert only made one mistake. Mel asked him why he'd decided to become a doctor. "People are always so impressed with doctors," he said, considering it. "And it sounded more fun than being a lawyer. Being a doctor is really important and I think it's a good match for my personality."

Robert had the chance to learn a lot about Mel during the game. It turned out her small motor skills weren't nearly as advanced as he'd have liked them to be. He'd learned about her family, her childhood pets, her hometown of Astoria, Oregon, her favorite music—mostly classical, and whether or not she had a boyfriend. She did not.

After losing the first game, she had to explain why she'd decided to go to medical school. "I come from a small town, I mean a really small town. Like, there's less than ten thousand people living there. And with the grades I got there were too many opportunities available to me to stay there. I had to get out and make a good future for myself," she said with a shrug. "I wasn't sure what to do exactly, but I wanted it to be important. Like you said. And I'd always been best at science, so being a doctor seemed to be a good fit." She stopped talking and looked down at the game for a moment, her brow furrowed. After a few seconds, she spoke again, telling Dr. Romano about the role her father had played in the decision to become a doctor.

He smiled sympathetically at her before setting up for the next game.

"My fingers are cramping," Mel complained when they'd finished their second game.

Robert took her hand in his and massaged her fingers. "It's been a long day," he said

quietly, looking down at her hand. He resisted the temptation to wrap his fingers through hers, though it was difficult. "Why don't you get out of here? Tomorrow we'll work on what is sure to be many more fun cases."

(Scene)

Mel felt much better on Friday, after a long, hot shower and a good night's sleep. Doctor Romano kept her busy all day long with a variety of cases. He also became more aggressive in asking her questions to test her knowledge. He made her hypothesize every diagnosis, questioning her so thoroughly that she started to doubt herself. After she'd seen a patient whose symptoms could have been at least five different ailments, Robert pulled her out of the room to talk.

"Miss Hahn, one thing I've learned over the years is, if there are multiple choices for a diagnosis, the most likely one is usually the most pedestrian one. It might not be very exciting, but it's probably correct," he said quietly before taking her back into the exam room and allowing her to correctly diagnose the patient.

They'd just finished lunch, and were walking back to the admit desk to pick another patient, when an old man wobbled out of an exam room, and over to them. "Doc, I'm not feeling so good," he said to Doctor Romano before clutching at his stomach, bending over, and vomiting on the doctor's shoes. Mel gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. She looked with wide eyes to see what Doctor Romano would do.

Romano froze where he was, trying to control the rage building up inside him. He glared at Melanie, who stood there, looking like a deer caught in headlights. "Uh…" she stammered stupidly. Suddenly, she jumped into action. "Don't move, Doctor Romano," she said while taking hold of the elderly man and walking him back into the exam room. "I'll be right back."

"Where would I go?" he yelled after her, shaking his head.

Mel led the man back to his bed and looked at his chart to see which doctor was assigned to him. Kovac. She'd never met him, but she knew Romano wasn't too fond of him based on the few things he'd ever said. This ought to be fun, she thought to herself.

When the man was settled into his bed, Mel looked through the cupboards, found a basin and filled it with water from the sink. She also found several towels and a pair of gloves. She was back at Romano's side in less than two minutes.

"Ok, Doctor, why don't you take a step and put one foot into the basin," she commanded after setting the basin on the floor by him and putting on the gloves. "Those shoes are ruined," she declared. She set the towels around his feet, and knelt down next to him.

Romano grumbled before grabbing Mel's head and using it to steady himself while placing one of his feet into the basin. "You know, while I love the idea of you being on your knees in front of me like this, this was not quite the scenario I had envisioned," he growled.

"Doctor!" Mel cried indignantly. "We're in public!" She tapped the foot that was in the basin. "Ok, step out onto the towel so I can take the shoe off," she commanded. She was glad for the gloves when she started to slip off his shoe. "This is so disgusting," she muttered. When his shoe was off, she slipped his sock off before wrapping a clean towel around his foot. "All right, next foot." They repeated the process until he was barefoot, but somewhat clean again. The last thing she did was to roll up his pant legs just to keep the sick from touching him.

By now they had drawn a small crowd of onlookers. "What are you two doing?" Abby Lockhart, one of the nurses, asked.

Mel stood up and stretched her legs out. "Well this patient was walking towards us, and he got sick," she said quickly. "Doctor Romano pushed me out of the way so it wouldn't get on me, and he got hit with it instead…He's such a gentleman…"

Abby's eyebrows rose in wonderment and she nodded in agreement. "Wow, that was nice of you, Doctor," she said. "I'll go call somebody to clean this up."

"Do you have clean shoes in your office?" Mel asked the doctor, hoping the answer would be yes.

"Yes, and clean pants, these are ruined too," Romano said, starting to walk gingerly towards the elevator in his bare feet. "I'm going upstairs. You can join me if you like." Mel ran after him and caught up with him at the elevator. "You didn't have to say that to the nurse you know," he said quietly as they rode upstairs.

Mel shrugged and smiled. "It's my job as your student to make sure you look good, right?" she replied.

Romano laughed lightly and reached out to playfully tug on her ponytail. "You're finally catching on!" he declared. "Say, let's play some more Operation," he said, changing the subject. "Instead of questions, though, we could play strip Operation…I'm already started." He pointed to his bare feet.

"Doctor, I was terrible at that game last night…" Mel said, blushing at the thought. "I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Melanie…relax…I was joking," Romano assured her. "You need to lighten up a little."

They walked to his office in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Robert was grateful yet again that Melanie had allowed him to save face in an embarrassing situation. She was good for his ego.

He was also pleased to see how quickly she had jumped into action and had taken control of the situation. In the heat of the moment, she hadn't been afraid to command him. It showed leadership potential. Maybe she would be ready for her first trauma next week after all.

Mel wondered how upset Dr. Romano was about all of this, and hoped he wouldn't take it out on her. She had helped him out, after all. That had to be worth something in his eyes. She sighed. Would they stay locked up in his office for the rest of the day?

When they got to his office, she watched as he reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a clean set of clothes. "I'm going to go take a shower," he declared. "I'll only be a few minutes. Why don't you just wait here and we can go back downstairs when I'm done? Unless you want to take one of those co-ed showers…"

Mel sat in Dr. Romano's office, looking at all the details for the first time. He had all sorts of weaponry on his shelves. Must be his idea of decorating, she thought. She wondered what his house looked like. He seemed like a no-nonsense sort of man to her, and she decided that his house was most likely very masculine and sparsely furnished and decorated. He had a very different sense of taste than she did. Mel liked warm, rich colors, and when she had more space than her dorm room allowed, she loved decorating with seasonal flora. There was nothing better than using colorful leaves and chestnuts in the autumn, or pine branches and holly leaves at Christmas.

Looking around still, she found a miniature rocket on his desk. Mel smiled. She knew about his nickname, but hadn't realized how much he seemed to identify with it. She wondered how he'd been given the name, and by whom, and figured there was probably a fun story behind it. Maybe she'd ask him later.

Mel had lifted the blinds at the window and was gazing out, enjoying the beautiful blue sky, when Dr. Romano came back into the room. She turned and looked at him, smiling. "All clean?"

"Squeaky," Robert replied. "You ready to go back downstairs?"

"Yep." Mel smiled again and walked to the door of his office before turning around so quickly he almost collided with her. "I saw the rocket on your desk. Will you tell me how you got the name?"

Robert stopped in time to not run into her. He looked closely at her to see what her motive was. Nobody had ever asked him about the name before. People just accepted it, like he'd been born and christened "Rocket". All he saw on Melanie's face, though, was a silly smile and curiosity. He felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of her actually liking him. Like he was a person. Or a friend. People didn't usually think of him in those terms, and he'd eventually grown accustomed to it. It made him feel unbalanced when he thought about having somebody in his life who liked him.

He generally acted like a monster to everybody, and he liked it that way. It kept from having to engage in messy relationships. He occasionally fell for a pretty woman, but he usually went for the ones he knew he had no chance with. It hurt, of course, the rejection, but not as much as having love and losing it. He'd heard the old saying before that it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. He couldn't recall at the moment who'd said it, but he knew, with complete certainty, that that man was an idiot. It was far better to never have love, thereby never having to deal with the pain of that loss. It had worked for him so far, and he had no intention of changing it now.

Robert frowned. "No, now let's get going," he snapped, grabbing Melanie's shoulder, turning her around, and pushing her out the door.

Mel's smile faded and she bit her lower lip. Maybe the story was personal and she'd been impolite to ask about it. "I'm sorry, Doctor Romano," she said as he hurried towards the elevator. "I was just curious, that's all."

"Well next time don't be curious," he growled irrationally. He kicked himself mentally as he saw her shoulders sag. It had been a simple question, why hadn't he been able to just tell her? What was wrong with him?

Once back in the ER, Robert assigned Melanie to lancing duty for the rest of the afternoon while he tracked down Dr. Kovac and chewed him out over the earlier shoe incident. When Kovac refused to pay for a new pair, Romano presented him with the soiled ones, telling him to keep them.

His anger towards Kovac mellowed his frustration towards Melanie. He was determined to be kinder to her to make up for his behavior. She hadn't deserved it. He found her in the curtain area, working on a patient with a broken finger. She'd just ordered an x-ray when Romano joined her. "How are things going?" he asked quietly.

Melanie looked at him warily and shrugged. "Ok, I guess," she said, just as quietly.

"Look, about earlier…I'm just not used to people asking me personal questions," Robert said, trying to explain his behavior.

"I don't have to, if it makes you uncomfortable," Mel said.

"No, you can ask me, it just threw me off, that's all."

"You aren't used to people wanting to get to know you?"

Romano shrugged and didn't speak.

"Well it's their loss." Melanie returned to her patient, leaving Robert alone, thinking about their exchange.

(SCENE)

By the end of the day, Mel was exhausted. She could hardly believe it was only her first week here. She felt tired enough to have been working for two weeks straight, at least. Hopefully she'd have a restful weekend.

Before going to Dr. Corday's office, she stopped at Dr. Romano's office to wish him a good night. "Oh, I wanted to give you something before you left," he said with a small smile. He reached into one of his desk drawers, pulled out a paper bag, and held it out to her.

Mel took the bag and opened it. She furrowed her brow and looked at the package in her hands. "Needlepoint? I've never done this before," she said. "I've only ever seen, you know, old people do this before."

"I want you to do it with your left hand, it'll be good for your coordination," Robert declared. "The pattern is just letters and numbers, and there's a border. It's pretty basic, but I think it'll be pretty challenging when you use your non-dominant hand. When you're done, if it looks good, I'll pay to have it framed for you."

Mel beamed at him. "Really? Thanks!" On a whim, she walked around the desk and leaned down, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I wanted to thank you for making it such a memorable first week here. I think we're going to make a great team during my rotation," she said earnestly.

Robert tensed up as he felt Melanie's arms touching him. He couldn't remember the last time somebody had willingly embraced him. Was he supposed to hug her in turn? As he caught a whiff of her apple shampoo, he willed himself not to look at her. If he turned his head just right he'd be able to look right down her shirt. He had the feeling that this girl would be his undoing if he wasn't careful around her.

"All right, Miss Hahn, that's enough sucking up for one day," he said gruffly, reaching up with this good hand and unwrapping her arms from him. "Go on, get out of here. Have fun babysitting tonight."

"Thanks, I'm sure it'll be a great night." Mel left Dr. Romano's office, needlepoint in hand, and walked down the hallway to Dr. Corday's office for a ride to her home.

Mel and Ella had a wonderful evening together. They watched My Neighbor, Totoro, and ate hotdogs. It was Ella's idea of a perfect night, apparently, and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Mel settled herself onto Dr. Corday's sofa, with her battered copy of Jane Eyre, and read for about five minutes before falling asleep. She awoke the next morning with a blanket over her that hadn't been there the night before, and a moment of disorientation. Where am I, she thought to herself while sitting up and looking around. It dawned on her a moment later, and she smiled. It was nice of Dr. Corday to let her stay the night rather than making her leave when she'd gotten home, whenever that had been.

It was currently 9:15am according to her watch, and she stretched and stood up from the couch, feeling well-rested. Ella was awake too, and quietly playing with the toys in her room when Mel came in to check on her. "Shh, mummy's sleeping," she whispered to Mel.

"I know, she had a late night," Mel whispered back. "What do you want for breakfast today, Miss Ella?"

Ella looked thoughtful for a moment before declaring: "Jell-o and 'nanas and biscuits."

"Oh, that's a lot of food," Mel replied. "How about a banana and some bacon and eggs?" She and Ella walked into the kitchen. She let Ella stir the eggs in a bowl while she placed slices of bacon into a hot pan. "You're a good stirrer," she praised the young girl. In a short time the two were seated at the kitchen table, eating their food.

Mel had just taken a bite of eggs when her cell phone rang. She looked to see who was calling but didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

"Miss Hahn, I trust you slept well last night," the voice on the other end said.

"Who is this?"

"Oh, I'm hurt," the voice replied. "We spent nearly every moment of the past week together and you can't recognize the sound of my voice yet?"

"Oh Doctor Romano! Hi! I just didn't expect to have you call me. I was confused," Mel replied quickly. "To answer your question, yes, I slept quite well." She wondered why he was calling her. "And how are you this morning?"

"Just dandy," Romano said curtly. "Listen, I didn't have time to give you your homework assignment last night before you left. I wanted you to have plenty of time to work on it. I'd like you to write me a ten-page paper on the advantages and disadvantages of vertical mattress sutures versus simple interrupted sutures, as well as examples of injuries that would require them. Due on Monday. I trust you won't have a problem completing it?"

"Monday?" Mel said faintly, trying not to panic. "No, I'll get it done by then."

"Good," Romano said. "And don't forget to work on your needlepoint. I want you to try and practice daily if you can." He hung up a moment later after wishing her good luck.

"Who's that?" Ella asked, looking curiously at Mel.

"That was Dr. Romano," Mel said, taking a deep breath and setting her phone down.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Ella asked.

"No! He's my teacher." Mel blushed at the thought of Doctor Romano being her boyfriend.

"What's he teaching you?"

"He's teaching me how to be a doctor."

"My mummy's a doctor."

"Yes, Doctor Romano and I work at the same hospital with your mom. She's very nice." Ella nodded her head in agreement.

Doctor Corday was up and out of bed by the time the other two had finished cleaning up in the kitchen. Her red hair stood up in all directions, and she looked very groggy. "Thanks for feeding Ella," she said while setting the kettle on the stove to make tea. "What will you be doing today?" Mel told her about Dr. Romano's phone call earlier and declared her plan to work in the school library most of the day and well into the next. "It would be just like that man to spring something on you like this at the last minute," she said, shaking her head. "Don't let him take advantage of you, Melanie. Learn to stand up for yourself early on, otherwise he'll trample all over you. Believe me, I know."

"Just how horrible is he, really? Everybody I've spoken to this week has done nothing but give me warnings about him. He has his moments of being harsh to me, but I just don't see what everybody's making such a big deal about."

Elizabeth sat down at the table across from her, looking thoughtful. "He likes to have his way," she started, choosing her words carefully. "And he doesn't always act reasonably when it comes to disappointment. If I've learned anything over my years working with him, it's that he does better if you're just open and honest with him. Even if you have to go against him, just don't lie to him. Ever. That's a mistake I made in the past and did I ever regret it."

"That doesn't sound too unreasonable to me," Mel replied. "Nobody likes being lied to."

"Robert might not look like it, but I think he actually feels things very deeply. He likes to put on a tough-guy act, but I think he's really very sensitive."

Mel nodded her head. "He seems sort of…flirtatious sometimes too."

"Oh yes, very. And it's not all bad. I just hope he doesn't get too inappropriate with you. But, since he's Chief of Staff and your advisor, hopefully he'll remember that and not step out of line."

Melanie flushed at the thought. He'd already said things to her that would be considered inappropriate, but she hadn't minded it too much. Perhaps because she was his student she was more forgiving of his foibles. Though maybe she was being too forgiving if she was willing to consider sexual harassment a foible…

After a cup of tea and a little more chatting with Elizabeth, Mel excused herself and left for the library. She spent the rest of the day there.


	5. A Week of Firsts

By Sunday night, Mel had completed her paper for Doctor Romano, and felt quite confident that it would please him. She looked forward to handing it in to him the next morning. She was a bit disappointed, however, when Monday morning came and he hardly looked at it after she gave it to him. "I didn't expect you to actually do it…" he said with a frown, sounding disappointed. "I just figured you'd blow it off and I'd yell at you today. Now my morning plans are all shot…"

"But, you are going to read it, right? I spent all weekend on it!" Mel cried as they walked out of the lounge and over to the board to find a patient.

"I will, later," Romano promised, "After we've done a trauma, if one shows up…"

Mel gasped and clapped her hands in excitement. "Really? You're going to let me do a trauma finally?" She looked over to the ambulance bay to see if anybody was driving in yet. "Oh I can't wait!"

Dr. Weaver was working on some charts next to them and glanced over at Mel. Her look of disapproval was clear when she caught Romano's eye. He grabbed Melanie's hands so she couldn't clap anymore. "We'll work on professional demeanor this week," he said before picking up a chart and leading her over to Exam Room One.

"Miss Hahn, please try and remember that this is a place of work," Romano said curtly. "No more clapping and gasping and other displays of excitement. You need to act like a professional." Melanie looked at him tragically and he rolled his eyes. "All right, at least while you're in public, can we agree to that?" She nodded and took the chart he held out to her. "First case of the day, let's see you run this one." He stepped back and let her take over.

Later in the morning word came that a helicopter was arriving with a spinal cord injury. Mel turned to Dr. Romano with wide eyes, looking eager yet saying nothing. "Can we go?" she finally asked.

Romano shook his head. "We can wait here until they bring him down," he replied.

"But I've never been on the roof, shouldn't I learn—"

"No, Miss Hahn, you are not to go up to the roof," Romano said harshly, "If I hear of you going up there, I'll personally throw you off myself. Got it?" Melanie's jaw dropped open in shock and she merely nodded her head. "Now, we can get gowned up and prep the trays we'll need so we can help him as soon as he's wheeled into the room." He turned and walked towards the trauma room reserved for the patient, leaving his med student staring after him.

"Would you like to come up and help bring the patient down?" Dr. Carter asked. He'd walked over to look at the board after Romano left.

Mel shook her head. "I'm not allowed on the roof," she replied. Dr. Carter looked quizzically at her so she explained what Romano had said. "I can't be completely sure, but I don't think he was joking. I'm not really sure why he's so adamant, but I'm not going to go against his wishes. I don't want to be thrown off the roof…"

Dr. Carter shook his head. "Has he ever told you about what happened to his arm?" he asked.

"No, and I didn't want to ask," Mel replied.

Carter sighed. "Last spring…he was up on the roof with Dr. Kovac and Dr. Lewis, it was pretty chaotic. He got too close to a helicopter and…" he made a gesture to his left arm and shook his head again.

Mel gasped and turned to look at the trauma room where Romano was preparing for the patient. "Oh my God," she whispered. Her mind reeled as she took all of the information in. No wonder he didn't want her to go up to the roof. And no wonder he could be in such a bad mood sometimes. What a horrible thing to have to endure. But at the same time, it was sort of cool to have lost an arm in such a way. She'd heard of people losing limbs in fishing accidents or machinery accidents, but never a helicopter accident. She had a whole new respect for her mentor, but decided not to say anything. If he wanted her to know and to talk about it, he would initiate a discussion.

Mel excused herself and joined Dr. Romano in the trauma room. She'd never put on one of the yellow gowns before, and wondered how such thin material would keep her protected from anything. "Miss Hahn, remember to do whatever I tell you to do," Romano reminded her as they watched the elevator door open and the team of doctors and nurses wheeled the patient out. "Just take a deep breath and try to remain calm. You're about to do your first trauma."

Mel tried to take his advice, but felt butterflies flutter in her stomach as the man was wheeled into the room. People were shouting and talking over each other and things started happening all at the same time. It was hard to know who to listen to and what to do. Fred and Tina were also in the room and they looked just as scared as she felt.

Dr. Lewis was in charge and started giving orders to everybody. Mel was instructed to check the man's airway and insert an intubation tube. That was something she hadn't done before, and after a quick glance at Dr. Romano, he was at her side walking her through the process. The tube went in without any problems or complications, and she was able to attach the tube to the ventilator.

She was hardly able to take in what she'd done before Susan asked for a blood draw. She'd had practice with that and didn't need assistance before drawing several vials for testing. She handed them off to Haleh who took them to the lab.

The doctors and nurses worked quickly and after only a few minutes, the patient was stabilized and able to go up to surgery. People took off the gowns and gloves and went off to find more patients to help. "Well, that was a good trauma, Fred, but not as interesting as the one we worked on last week, was it?" Tina asked loudly as she and Fred left the room.

Mel took a deep breath and peeled the gloves off her now-shaking hands. She could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins and was finding it hard to calm down. She looked at Dr. Romano and saw him giving her a knowing smile. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?" he asked, holding out his right hand for her to take the glove off for him.

"It was terrifying," she said, taking hold of the glove and sliding it off his hand.

"You loved it," he continued with a smirk.

"It was awesome," she said with a grin, looking into his eyes. They were glinting with pride and amusement. "Thanks for helping me with the intubation, it was pretty tricky." She took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Are all traumas this exciting?"

"Pretty much," Romano confirmed. He was amused at Melanie's reaction. He knew that she was a brilliant student, but lived most of her life cautiously, reading books and writing papers. She'd probably never had such an adrenaline rush before, and he could tell she was enjoying it. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were slightly dilated. It was too bad he was such an honorable gentleman, or it would have been the perfect time to try and take advantage of her.

"All right, why don't you take a break? Get some water and eat a snack," he said, walking to the door. "I don't want your blood sugar crashing after you come down from your adrenaline rush."

Mel forced herself to eat some peanuts and crackers even though she had no appetite at all. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Doctor Romano standing at the admit desk, reading her paper. She hoped he liked it.

Once her break was over, she joined him at the desk. "So?" she asked eagerly.

"It's great," he replied with a smile, before pointing to the page he was reading. "I like how you've drawn out the injuries, it's a nice touch. Particularly the dripping blood, very realistic." Mel beamed at him. "Since this isn't for a class, I suppose I can't officially give you a grade, but if I was to grade this, I would probably give it an A," he concluded.

"Thanks," she breathed.

"What's this?" Dr. Weaver asked, looking at the paper in Romano's hand.

"Riveting reading material," he said, handing it to her. "I assigned Miss Hahn a paper about sutures over the weekend, and this is what she wrote."

"Do you mind if I read it, Ms. Hahn?" Mel shook her head and Dr. Weaver added it to her pile of charts. "It's always enjoyable to see what students have to say about medical procedures."

(SCENE)

Dr. Romano had left Melanie down in the ER while he worked on papers in his office. "I trust you not to kill anybody," he'd said in parting. She had just finished filing some charts and was walking down the hall when Fred and Tina swooped in on her.

"Well, if it isn't the teacher's pet," Tina Smith smirked. "How does it feel to be Romano's perfect student?"

Mel looked at them and felt her stomach drop. She'd missed getting to interact with them last week, the most important time for a med student to stick together as a group. The first week was the time when they were judged by the nurses and doctors. She'd missed all of that and so she was the lowest-ranked. A peon. The lowest of the low. And Doctor Romano was the least popular of the doctors, which brought her ranking even lower and dropped her popularity to zero. She was going to be the target of the other students and there was nothing she could do about it.

"I'm not a teacher's pet," she mumbled. "Doctor Romano makes me work really hard."

"I bet," Tina said, placing her hands on her hips. "I bet he makes you work really hard…on your knees. We saw you last week cleaning him up. I bet you're used to that position by now."

Tina had been assigned to Dr. Pratt, but Mel got the impression that she resented not being paired with Dr. Romano herself. She'd have to look out for Tina, because she was used to getting whatever she wanted in school. This would annoy her for some time to come. Fred had also been assigned to Dr. Pratt. Pratt was keeping a very tight leash on him, though Fred didn't let on. He wasn't going to be as much of a problem, Mel could tell. He just followed along with whatever Tina did.

Mel bit her lip and tried not to let tears form in her eyes. She'd never been accused of such horrible things before. What was the best way to try and respond? Fortunately, she was saved by Dr. Weaver. Unfortunately, Dr. Weaver spoke when she joined the group.

"Ms. Hahn, I just finished reading your paper and I have to say I was quite impressed," she said with a smile. "I think you're really going to get a lot out of your ER rotation. From what I've seen and heard, Robert is making great strides with you so far. Keep up the good work." She handed Mel's paper back to her and started walking away before looking over her shoulder. "There are patients to be seen, you three, time to get back to work."

When Dr. Weaver was gone, Fred and Tina glared at Mel for a few moments before walking away to the admit desk. Mel stared at her paper, wanting to burn it. Instead, she crumpled it up and threw it in the garbage. With a sigh, she walked to the suture room to wait until the other students were gone from the admit desk before going to find a chart to work on.

(SCENE)

Robert found it difficult to concentrate on the paperwork he had to get caught up on. It was dull work on a normal day, but for some reason today it couldn't keep his attention at all. His thoughts kept returning to Melanie. She'd done so well with their trauma earlier, and he couldn't wait to see what kind of progress they'd make this week.

When he'd caught up with the files on his desk, he grabbed one of the tennis balls from the canister he'd brought in last week and left to go find his student. He found her standing at the admit desk, discussing something with Dr. Kovac. Kovac. The man he wanted Melanie to have nothing to do with whatsoever. The way he used and abused the female staff was legendary, and Robert didn't want Melanie to fall prey to him.

"Miss Hahn! Heads up!" he called out while lobbing the ball at her, like he had done a week ago. Melanie turned around and squealed as she saw the ball heading towards her, but reached out with her left hand and caught it just before it hit her. With a grin, she threw the ball back at Romano, who caught it before getting hit himself. "Look at that progress! Less than a week, Miss Hahn," he praised, walking over to her. "I am very impressed." He wedged himself in between Melanie and Dr. Kovac. "Dr. Kovac, isn't there somewhere else you need to be? Like anywhere?" Kovac snorted and walked away, rolling his eyes.

Mel grinned at Dr. Romano. "Maybe I can get some more tennis practice in today if it stays slow like this," she said, taking the ball from him and bouncing it on the floor. When she caught it, her smile disappeared, and she looked at him again, this time with a frown. "Although, maybe I shouldn't…"

Romano's brow furrowed as he looked at her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Mel looked around to see that Tina and Fred weren't there, and started walking towards the suture room. "What's wrong is that you're not being mean enough to me," she replied as they walked. "You're a legend here, Doctor, the entire building fears you. But everybody thinks I'm a teacher's pet because you're treating me nicely. Would you be willing to yell at me sometimes when the other med students are around? Just to prove that I'm not a teacher's pet?"

Robert didn't know what to say to her request. He hadn't been aware that he'd been treating her differently than other people. He'd only been aware of the fact that somebody at the hospital didn't cower in fear around him, or outwardly cringe whenever they saw him or make fun of him when they thought he couldn't hear it. Perhaps he found her to be refreshing and treated her nicer because of that? It had happened in the past, on occasion. Somebody would stand out to him as more interesting than the rest, and he'd taken a liking to them. Lizzie. Lucy Knight. Even Peter Benton. And now Melanie, he supposed. Nothing had come of the others. He'd respected Peter, but they'd never really been friends. And Lizzie had rejected him, several times. He knew it was futile to love her anymore, but he couldn't help it. Loving her was a hard habit to break. And Lucy…She'd shown such promise. But she was gone now, and there was no more use thinking about it.

"Miss Hahn," he replied, "You will find that there are many Tina Smiths and Fred Joneses in the world. It's best to stop caring about what they think now. Most people in the world are jerks—I know, because I'm one of them. Not everybody is going to like you; it's just a fact of life."

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "Not many people here like me already," she murmured. "I just wanted a fair chance with them, that's all." She sighed bounced the tennis ball in her hand a couple times as she walked.

"Sounds like somebody's feeling sorry for herself," Romano said sarcastically, wanting to see how she'd react.

Melanie folded her arms and shook her head. "I've been treated like a social pariah my entire life. I just hoped that now that I'm in medical school, and an adult, it would get better. I'm tired of people like them!" Her tone was defensive, but she didn't rise to his example and grow sarcastic in return. It made bantering with her very difficult when she didn't throw it back at him. He found it very disarming, in fact. Robert found he didn't mind too much, though. It was quite refreshing actually, not always having to come up with witty responses all the time. It was relaxing.

They walked into the empty suture room and she sat down on a stool, looking down at the tennis ball still in her hands. Romano walked over to her and took the ball out of her hands. He found another stool and sat down next to her. "Well, if you're having a pity party, I'll join you," he said. "You want to complain about being a social pariah? You have no idea who you're talking to. I'm a social leper. At least you're cute; I don't even have that going for me."

"Doctor! Don't say things like that," Mel scolded. "I think you're plenty good-looking." Romano's eyebrows rose, and he grinned at her. When she realized what she'd said, she gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, I shouldn't have said that," she moaned a minute later. "That was sexual harassment. I'm sorry!"

Romano chuckled at her embarrassment. "Don't worry about it," he assured her. "You just made my day." They continued to commiserate and laugh for a while before Melanie reminded them that there were probably patients waiting to be seen. "I suppose we should go help them," he conceded, standing up and holding out his hand to help her up. He kept her hand in his until they left the suture room.

(SCENE)

Melanie was able to work on another trauma later that day. It was scarier than the first, because the patient, with a gunshot wound to the chest, was conscious, and combative. Dr. Pratt was running it, and he gave his students the more important tasks, leaving Melanie to get a blood pressure and put in an IV. "You have to hold still, sir!" she cried while leaning on the man's arm.

"Get away from me, bitch!" he yelled as he pushed her off of him.

She grabbed his arm again, trying once more to get the needle in, but it was no use. Before she could call for help, though, a hand clamped down heavily on the man's arm. "Hey, you don't talk to her like that!" Romano growled. Between the two of them they were able to get the IV in him securely. A minute later the man was unconscious, the medicine having had a chance to take effect. "Are you all right?" Romano asked her as the man was being wheeled up to the OR.

Melanie nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied quietly. "He must have been in a lot of pain to be so strong. I thought I'd be able to hold him down better than that."

Robert felt proud over the fact that he'd been able to help her out. Might had never been his strong point, but he'd noticed that his functioning arm had grown stronger over the past several months as it compensated for his left arm. Maybe next he'd try to leap over a tall building in a single bound.

Instead, he decided to argue with Pratt, who was standing at the admit desk. "Next time, how about dividing the tasks up a little more evenly," he snarled at the other man. "You stuck Miss Hahn with all the scut work."

"There was only so much to be done, and I was just looking out for my students," Pratt replied coolly. "And while we're at it, you need to stop hogging all the suture patients, my students need the practice too."

"Miss Hahn can only suture so many patients in one day, Pratt, maybe you need to ask your students why _they_ aren't taking them. You have shown them how to, haven't you?" When Pratt didn't respond, Romano smirked. "Why don't you show them how to do it instead of blaming my student for their ineptitude? I can't help it if Miss Hahn can suture three patients in the time it takes for yours to do one." Feeling satisfied at having had the last word, he grabbed Melanie by the wrist and pulled her after him. He walked down the hall towards the curtain area.

Mel wasn't sure what to say to him, he seemed so worked up. His grip was so tight it started to cut off the circulation to her hand. Finally she reached over and grabbed at his hand with hers. "Doctor, stop! You're hurting me!" she gasped. Romano stopped walking, took a deep breath and loosened his grip on her hand slightly. "You don't have to pull me, I'm following you."

Robert turned around to look into her eyes. They were pleading and full of confusion. His breath caught in his chest. What was he doing? He let go of her wrist and looked down at the red marks starting to emerge on her skin. If they had been alone, he would have kissed her wrist to make it all better. And then he would have kissed her lips, and never looked back. But they weren't alone, so he couldn't. So instead, he turned and walked away, listening for the reassuring sound of her footsteps following closely behind him.

(SCENE)

By Wednesday, Melanie and Dr. Romano seemed to have figured out more how the other worked. They worked together as a team to help patients. The traumas came in steadily, and she continued to make good progress under his guidance. He divided up the suture patients more evenly and there were fewer conflicts with Dr. Pratt and the other students after that.

It was a slow afternoon, so Romano sent Melanie outside to work on her tennis again while he returned to his office to work on papers. He had to get caught up with his paperwork because of the physical therapy appointment he'd had the previous evening. He'd been too exhausted afterwards to stay late and work on it then.

As he flipped through the pages, his gaze drifted down to his left hand and he sighed sadly. He hoped he'd continue to make progress at his appointments, but he'd noticed it had been slowing down over the last month or so. Was this the best it would get? Partial function? He sighed and rubbed his temples. His last hopes of continuing his surgical career were continuing to fade, but strangely enough, he didn't feel as upset as he normally did when his thoughts turned to this topic.

Robert glanced out the window and looked down to see Melanie playing tennis against the wall of the ambulance bay. He turned his chair to face her, his papers forgotten for the moment as he watched her. She really was terrible at it, but she never gave up. He respected that about her. She was nothing if not persistent. He was enjoying getting to know her and how her mind worked. She was so different from him. Unlike him, she was clearly desperate to be liked by her peers. To be accepted by them. He'd try to instill in her a sense of not caring about others, but he wasn't sure how far he'd be able to get. And he couldn't understand how she wasn't motivated by competing against the other med students. Melanie didn't appear to be a very competitive person by nature, though she did seem to like trying to improve her own personal best. He'd have to use that as a motivator for her when she needed it. But how could somebody so uncompetitive make a brilliant surgeon? A desire to destroy any and all who tried to outdo you was what made a good surgeon. He'd have to keep working on her.

He was still watching Melanie run after the ball as an ambulance rolled into the bay. She jumped out of the way and ran after it, stopping at the ambulance door as the driver parked it. Melanie helped them wheel the patient into the ER. Robert got up and ran out the door. By the time he arrived in the ER, she was in the trauma room with the team of doctors, helping put in an IV. The patient was a burn victim and clearly not going to survive. He'd burned over eighty five percent of his body, and they were having trouble intubating him.

Robert watched as Melanie held an oxygen mask to his face. "You'll be all right, sir," she said to him. The man's breathing grew erratic and more labored. His family arrived and burst into the room just as he died, and the screaming and crying was overwhelming even for Romano. He looked over at Melanie, who was standing next to the patient, mask still in her hand. She was staring at the man as though really seeing him for the first time. His skin was blackened over most of his body and all the hair on his head was burned off. A heavy smell filled the room, and still she just stood there, looking at him.

Robert walked over to her and took the mask out of her hand. He knew what she was going through. It was what every student went through on their first loss. He wished he could shield her from it, but he couldn't. Losing a patient was as much a part of the job as saving them was.

He glanced at her. She wasn't crying, but was staring at the dead man on the gurney. "I've never seen anybody die before," she said in a whisper, clearly mesmerized. She went to take a step towards him, but Robert held her back and after a few seconds, led her out of the room so the family could grieve in private.

"I thought it would be…I don't know, bigger? Scarier? More dramatic? He was breathing, and then he just…wasn't. I thought it would be like in the movies, with music in the background and his eyes shutting at the end. But they didn't. He died with his eyes open."

Robert led her into the suture room and let her talk. He knew it would be good for her. "And the smell…Why do things have to smell so bad? I think I really might be a vegetarian now. I don't think I'll ever forget that smell or the way he looked. I've never seen such bad burns before. I've only read about them. Things seem to be so much worse in real life than the way a text book describes them. I suppose words can't really capture it just right." She sighed deeply and bit her lip, stealing a glance at Romano. "I feel so bad for his family," she continued as he came to stand by her side. "They'll always have that image of him like this in their minds when they think about him." She sighed again. "Is it always like this? Losing a patient? Is the first time always the hardest and then it gets easier?" She sounded hopeful asking this.

Robert took a deep breath and thought about the first person he saw die as a med student, and all the others he'd seen over the years. Each one was different. And some hurt a lot, even years after he'd been in this business. His thoughts turned to Lucy Knight again, and he closed his eyes, hoping to shut out her image from his mind. "The first isn't necessarily the hardest," he finally said quietly. "And you never quite get used to it."

Melanie made a bold move, and bent her head down to rest it on Robert's shoulder. He tilted his head to rest it against hers. They spoke no more words, but stood in silence together, thinking their own thoughts and feeling their own pain.


	6. The Two Romanos

By Friday, Melanie had started to catch on to Dr. Romano's routine. He was cranky in the morning, probably due to the physical therapy session he had each night. She quickly learned to leave him alone for the first couple hours of the day, taking small procedures she felt she could handle on her own.

Around midmorning, she brought a cup of coffee up to his office, knowing he'd be there, like he always was when he wasn't in the ER with her. He was there, sitting at his desk, writing something on a sheet of paper. "Took you long enough," he growled in greeting.

"Oh I'm sorry, I was working on a leg lac, but that's no excuse," Mel said with a frown. "I know how important your morning caffeine is to you." She held out a cup of steaming coffee to him. "Black, just the way you like it."

Romano took a deep breath, enjoying the aroma before taking a sip. "I suppose I'll forgive your tardiness this time," he relented. "Just don't make a habit of it." He continued to drink his coffee, and looked at her without speaking. He could never admit it to her, but he quite enjoyed the way she humored his moods. She was indeed a fast learner.

"So…do you think anything interesting will happen today?" Melanie asked, trying to make small talk.

"Who can say, really," Robert replied, continuing to sip his coffee.

"Are you doing anything fun this weekend?"

"I have a dinner thing to go to tonight," he said. "Other than that, not really."

"Oh…a dinner thing, huh? That sounds promising." She watched as Robert shrugged his shoulders but didn't speak. "Who's your date? Does she work here?"

Robert looked carefully at her. She appeared curious, but he could tell it was more than mere friendly curiosity. "No, she does not," he replied with a grin. "But she'll be stopping by at the end of my shift, so you can meet her if you like."

Melanie bit her lip and folded her arms. "Oh, well, that sounds like a wonderful way to start my weekend," she said, barely containing the sarcasm. Romano set his coffee down and smirked. She narrowed her eyes, stood up, and swiped the coffee cup off his desk. "Get your own coffee!" she cried before drinking the rest of it in one gulp and storming out of his office. Robert sat back in his chair and chuckled to himself.

He gave Melanie another half hour to let her cool off before joining her in the ER. It took a while to track her down. He expected to find her in the suture room, her favorite hideout, but she wasn't there. A quick look at the board showed that she was helping a patient in Exam Room One, so he walked over there, only to be greeted by a frown.

"What have we here?" he asked curiously as he looked at the patient Melanie was with. She was a young girl, a preteen he guessed. There were no parents with her, and the only symptom written on the board had been stomach cramps. He noticed a look of panic pass over the young girl's face as he joined them.

"Doctor Romano, this is Theresa Miller, Theresa, this is Doctor Romano," Melanie said in introduction. "Doctor, may I have a word with you outside?" She wrapped her hands around his arm and gently pulled him towards the door. "Theresa, I'll be right back."

"What is the matter, Miss Hahn?" Romano asked once they were outside the room.

"Would it be all right with you if I ran this one solo?"

Romano frowned. "Why do you need to run this solo?" he asked curtly. He wasn't sure he liked how badly she was holding this grudge.

"Well…I think I know the problem, and she's not going to want to deal with it when there's a man in the room. It's sort of a…woman thing…" Melanie said, trying to be delicate.

Romano snorted. "Is that all? I don't see why I can't be present," he replied.

"You've never been a girl, that's why," Mel said. "So, why don't you go hang out in the lounge for a while and I'll find you when I'm done." When he didn't budge, she tried another tactic. "All right…would you like to teach her about her fallopian tubes, or should I?"

"Why isn't her mother telling her this stuff?" he asked, trying to hide the cringe he was feeling inside.

"She doesn't have one, just two dads," Melanie explained.

Romano cleared his throat and glanced into the room to look at the terrified girl sitting on the exam table. "Well…I don't see why you can't handle this on your own. Certainly you are well-qualified to usher this girl into womanhood or whatever it is you'll be doing. I'll be in the lounge giving thanks that I don't have ovaries."

Melanie smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Thank you," she replied before walking back into the room and shutting the door. "All right, Theresa, where were we?"

(SCENE)

Melanie found Dr. Romano at the admit desk talking to Dr. Weaver. "Well, are you finished teaching your patient the birds and the bees?" he asked in greeting.

Mel nodded her head. "Yes, we chanted, I played bongos, and we burned some incense. It's a shame you weren't there," she replied with a grin.

"Oh I feel terrible that I missed it," he said as he handed her a new chart. "To make it up to you, though, I found you a wonderful case. I know how boil-lancing is your favorite."

Mel grimaced but didn't complain. "Thanks," she said as she walked away to find the patient.

"Chanting and incense?" Kerry asked Robert when they were alone again.

Robert shrugged his shoulders. "Isn't that what all you women do during that time of the month?"

Kerry frowned and rolled her eyes. "It's always such a pleasure talking with you, Robert," she replied.

While Mel tried to keep her stomach calm as she examined her patient, she thought about Dr. Romano's date that night, and the fact that she herself would be spending the evening hanging out with a two year old.

Mel sighed as she imagined what Dr. Romano's date looked like. Probably blonde, tall, leggy, somewhat resembling a Barbie doll, with a matching IQ. She probably has big boobs too, she thought as she glanced down at her own average-sized chest. They'd spend the evening eating lobster and caviar and drinking expensive champagne, then go back to his house and spend the night having sex. She would spend the evening feeding Spaghetti-o's to a child and playing patty-cake. It would be a significantly less fun night than the one her mentor would be having.

Her mind began to spin out of control. He probably had a different woman every week. Men like him always seemed to have little problem attracting a woman. It was probably the money. Or the chiseled good looks. Maybe a little bit of both. She'd read plenty of books, and knew all about men like him.

Dr. Romano would never look at her the way he looked at all the women he dated. Not with her boring brown hair and pale skin. And certainly not with her doughy tummy. She sighed and looked down at the leg she was working on. Nothing like the sight of a disgusting boil on somebody else's body to bring you back to reality.

"How are you feeling now, sir?" she asked once she'd finished with his leg.

"Much better, but call me Benny," the man replied with a smile.

"All right, Benny, now you keep that covered for the next few days and be careful when you wash it."

Benny appeared to be homeless, given his disheveled state. He was probably in his late forties or early fifties. "You fixed me up real good," he said while sitting up to admire his leg. "You're a real pretty doctor. Are you married?"

Mel was speechless. "Uh…no…" she stammered while turning bright red.

"Oh, that's a shame. You'll make some man mighty happy some day."

"Uh…thanks…Let me write you out a script for some antibiotics and I'll get my advisor to sign off on it. I'll be right back." Mel exited the curtained area as quickly as possible and took out her pad of paper to write a prescription. When she'd finished, she joined Dr. Romano at the admit desk and handed him the paper. "Can you sign this please?"

Romano took the paper and read it. "I can actually read it…" he murmured. "That's refreshing." He frowned. "Is that a smiley face in the corner?" Melanie grinned and nodded. His frown deepened. "Remember what I said earlier this week about acting more professionally, Miss Hahn? That would include smiley faces on scripts," he said coolly.

Melanie's face fell. "Can you please just sign it?" she asked. "Benny needs his meds so he can go."

"Benny? Boil guy's name is Benny now, is it?"

"Yes, he's very nice. He said I was pretty, so I want to get him all set up now."

"Oh…Benny thinks you're pretty, huh? Well, that changes everything. Let me sign this," he said, taking out his pen and signing the script, "And you can go off and help Benny out." He crossed out the smiley face before holding it out to her.

Melanie narrowed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Why do you have to be so infuriating all the time?" she hissed.

Romano folded the paper in half and slipped it into the breast pocket of her lab coat. "This is who I am," he replied coldly. "I don't change for anybody, so don't expect special treatment from me." They stood across from each other for a few moments, glaring, before Melanie turned around and returned to her patient.

Robert looked at the board for a minute, trying to find a patient he could help single-handedly, so-to-speak. His thoughts turned to his student. Was she actually jealous of the fact that he had a date tonight? That ruse had never worked on Lizzie before, though he'd tried it several times over the years.

What could Melanie possibly see in him? He was many years her senior, enough that he felt somewhat mortified at the thought of being attracted to her. It made him feel like a lecherous old man. And then there was the winning personality he had just dazzled her with. Why any woman didn't want him was beyond him.

He couldn't deny his attraction to her, though. A man would have to be blind not to see her appeal. Lizzie's curly hair was gorgeous, but straight hair was much easier to run his fingers through, should he ever get the opportunity to do so. And it did smell like apples…And then there was her figure. He'd been around Melanie enough to have thoroughly critiqued her body. There was something nice about not having to crane his neck up to look her in the eye. And he liked having a bit of flesh to hold onto, personally, and he hoped someday to be able to hold onto hers.

He hadn't gone so far as to enter the realm of sexual fantasy with her yet. He wasn't sure why, seeing as he'd had them about nearly every woman at the hospital. Perhaps it would be too inappropriate, given that she was his student. But that was the premise of at least half his fantasies…Maybe it seemed too clichéd, now that he was living the scenario.

He glanced over at Melanie, who was smiling at her patient. She had said he was good-looking. Maybe she'd been lying, but he was a pretty good judge of when people were lying, and he didn't think she had been. And the fact that she'd gotten flustered and had apologized implied that she meant it. He couldn't imagine what about him she saw that was so attractive. Women hardly swooned over a shorter-than-average, bald man. He'd never had too much trouble finding a woman who was interested in him, though, after they found out he was a doctor. It must be the money. It was shallow of them, he knew, but a man had to use whatever resources were available to him. It made _him_ shallow too, really, but he didn't usually care.

Was Melanie attracted to his money? She'd never mentioned it before, and he knew there were some women out there who were interested in more than just money. Was she one of them? So far, she'd seemed more concerned with learning everything she could from him than in anything he'd bought for her.

And what had it meant when she'd rested her head on his shoulder earlier in the week? He wasn't used to people coming to him for comfort on any level, but particularly not on a physical level. He'd been too afraid of scaring her off to move, but looking back on it now, he wished he'd given her a hug or some sort of encouragement. She seemed like the kind of person who needed that sort of thing. He wasn't much of a hugger by nature, but he knew it could be quite pleasant. Maybe it was worth a try. The next time the opportunity presented itself, he'd take it. He'd rather enjoyed the hug she'd given him last week, in spite of his best effort not to.

Mel wrapped up things with Benny and sent him on his way. Before she had a chance to take another chart, she ran into Drs. Lewis and Chen, who were chatting about their evening plans. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to join in with the camaraderie.

"Well, Abby, Elizabeth and I are going to go to a movie," Susan said as they walked past her. "Elizabeth managed to get a sitter."

"That's me!" Mel interjected, smiling and hurrying over to the pair. "I'm babysitting Ella tonight."

"How did you end up with that job?" Dr. Chen asked, curiously.

"It's kind of a long story," Mel replied. "Dr. Romano and I sort of played a prank on her. I'm just making it up to her."

"A prank? Romano played a prank?" Susan was clearly amazed at hearing this.

Mel explained how it had come about and the two women were soon in stitches.

"Co-ed showers, that's brilliant!" Dr. Chen gasped.

"I'll be damned, the man actually _is_ human," Susan said in awe. "I always suspected, but I never had any concrete proof."

Mel smiled and nodded her head. "He's really not the monster you all make him out to be, you know," she said happily.

"Miss Hahn! There are six patients waiting for you to tend to them! Do you plan on standing around and flapping your gums all afternoon or do you think you can manage to get some work done?" The man really had impeccable timing, and a powerful set of lungs to yell so loudly from such a distance.

Melanie pursed her lips and closed her eyes for a moment before turning on her heel and rushing over to Romano at the admit desk. Without a word, she held out her hand to him. He scowled and shoved a chart into it. "You have more important things to do than standing around and cackling with the others. You would do well to take advantage of this time. You only have a few months to learn as much as you can before I take you up to the OR. And you think I'm working you hard down here? You have no idea what's in store for you. This is child's play in comparison." His voice was very controlled as he spoke quietly but she could see that he was barely holding himself back. His eyes seemed to burn holes into hers, and she had to back away because he was standing so close to her their noses were practically touching.

Mel tried not to show how terrified she was just now. She'd never seen him like this before. Was this the legendary "Rocket" Romano she'd heard so many rumors about? No wonder he was so notorious if this is how he actually treated everybody. He really looked like he might wrap his hand around her throat and strangle the life out of her. She looked at the floor and held her chart out like a shield. "What do you want from me?" she whispered, "I'm just trying my best!"

Robert looked at her, wondering if she was going to cry. Perhaps he _was_ being too hard on her? She was only a med student after all, and was doing a good job so far. But he had so much to teach her in so little time, he hated knowing that she was wasting any of it at all. She had to be perfect. She had to reflect his skills, the ones he imparted on her. And a thought, unbidden, came to him: She had to be better than him. He wanted to leave the hospital with somebody even more amazing than he was which was really saying something. He had to turn her into an unstoppable force. And that was why he couldn't relent, or treat her with kid gloves, as much as he'd like to.

"You have to do better than your best," he hissed at her. "Whenever you think you're doing your best, stop, and do even more. Work even harder. Longer. Better. Do you understand?" He watched as Mel's eyes filled with tears, but she controlled her breathing until she calmed down again. After a minute, she nodded her head once, and looked into his eyes, a resolve there now that he hadn't seen before. "Good girl. Now go." He watched as Melanie walked away from him. He hadn't realized that teaching would be so exhausting.

(SCENE)

Melanie was emotionally and physically drained by the end of her shift that day. She felt raw, and it was only increased when Romano called her up to his office to get a homework assignment, just in time to run into his date. She was just as blonde and leggy as Mel had feared. Mel felt like a hobbit in comparison, and tried not to blush as they were introduced.

"You have fun babysitting Ella tonight," Romano called out over his shoulder as he walked off, arm-in-arm with his date.

Elizabeth was startled to watch as a sobbing Melanie burst into her office, threw herself into the chair across from the desk, and buried her head in her arms. "Sweetie, what is it? What did he do now?" she asked, assuming this must be Robert's fault.

"He's—on—a—date and she's real—tall and p-p-pretty and I think he wants to k-kill me and I think he ha-hates me and I can't do anything r-r-right!" Mel gasped in between sobs.

Elizabeth frowned and handed her a tissue to dry her eyes. "He can be really tough sometimes," she said, shaking her head. "I'd hoped he'd be nicer to a med student, but apparently I was a bit too hopeful."

Melanie blew her nose and sighed. "He says he has to be tough on me because surgery is so horrible and I'm going to be a surgeon and he wants me to succeed," she said, her voice warbling.

Elizabeth looked at her carefully before speaking. "Melanie, do you want to be a surgeon?"

Melanie shrugged and sniffled again. "I haven't tried it before, so I don't know if I like it or not."

"Is there a field of medicine you'd like to specialize in?"

"Dr. Romano says I'm going to be a surgeon."

"This isn't about what Robert says; this is about what you want. What is it you want, Melanie?"

Mel furrowed her brow and shook her head slowly. "I don't know," she replied. "Why do I have to choose now?"

"You don't, that's what your rotations are designed for. You'll get to see which is the best match for your personality and interests. And I don't think you should let Romano control your decision. It's one that will affect the rest of _your_ life, not his, and you have to make the right one for yourself."

Mel nodded her head and blew her nose again. "I'm sure I'll make the right decision eventually," she said as she stood up to leave with Elizabeth. "At least I have a fun night ahead of me to get my mind off my troubles."

(SCENE)

"So, Miss Ella, what are we going to do tonight?" Mel asked as she spooned

Spaghetti-o's into a bowl for her young charge. "Should we watch a movie? Or read some books?"

"Wanna play dress-up," Ella said in between bites.

"All right, that sounds fun," Mel replied as she ate the last bit of pasta from the pan she'd heated it in. "What do you want to dress up as?"

"Mulan!"

"What should I dress up as?"

"Ariel!"

"All right, Disney princesses it is," Mel agreed. "You know, Ella, I know the songs from all the Disney movies. We could play princesses and sing songs."

Ella clapped her hands and started eating her dinner with her fingers before Mel put a spoon in her hand and directed her to use that to eat. It took nearly an hour to finish dinner and get cleaned up, but when they were done, Mel dragged Ella's dress-up box out of her bedroom and into the living room to play.

Ella ran into her room and came back a minute later with a plastic tape player. "For singing," she explained while setting it down on the coffee table.

The girls opened the box and started taking out clothes. Ella found a long, red wig and handed it to Mel. Mel put it on her head and glanced at a mirror on the wall. She blushed and giggled, but didn't take it off. What did it matter? It was just the two of them here after all.

Ella put on clothes that didn't resemble Mulan at all, but didn't seem to care. Mel looked around and found a green sarong that she put on to look like a mermaid's tail. She also found a red and white polka-dotted bikini top that by the size of it had to have belonged to Elizabeth at one point in time. It was definitely too big for Ella to wear. She ran into the bathroom and quickly changed out of her own clothes while Ella continued to change into hers.

"You look like Ariel!" Ella cried when Mel walked back into the room. Mel shook her red wig, making Ella laugh.

Mel walked around in the play clothes, feeling a little silly. The bikini top was a bit large on her, but not too big that anything was in danger of falling out, thankfully. And the sarong was long enough that she was able to fashion a tail out of it by tying it around her feet loosely with a bandana. She could still walk, albeit with a bit of difficulty. She now knew what it must have been like for Morticia Addams to walk around in the dress she used to wear on The Addams Family.

Ella continued to try on new clothes, until she settled on a pair of yellow flippers, matching water wings, and a yellow rain coat. "That doesn't look like Mulan," Mel said in confusion.

"I'm Flounder!" she declared before hopping carefully over to her to avoid tripping in the flippers.

"Oh! You look just like him!" Mel cried with a laugh. "If only we had a Scuttle too!"

"Sing a song!" Ella demanded, stomping one of her flippers.

Mel looked around and found a foot stool to sit on. She flapped her feet around a bit to make it look like she was swimming in water. "Ok…let's see…'Maybe he's right, maybe there is something the matter with me. I just don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things, could be bad…Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?'" Ella danced around her, as Mel continued with the song. It was fun to sing again, particularly when it was such a beautiful song. Ariel had been her favorite Disney princess, so she'd memorized all the lyrics long ago.

The girls sang songs until Mel's voice got scratchy and Ella started rubbing her eyes. "I think it's almost bedtime…" Mel said just as there was a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" She got up off the foot stool and carefully walked to the door, trying not to trip. She gasped while looking out the window. Dr. Romano! What was he doing here? What was she going to do? He would definitely notice her outfit and there was no time to change her clothes. She took a deep breath and opened the door, knowing there was nothing else to be done about it.

"Doctor!" she cried while opening the door to let him in. "What happened to your date? Is everything all right?"

Robert walked into the house, bearing a small cardboard box in his hand. When he saw Melanie, his eyebrows rose and his face broke out into a huge grin. He took a good look at her, making sure to memorize every inch of her now scantily-clad body before bursting out into loud peals of laughter. "Ditched her," he replied to her question when he could finally speak again. "I knew this would be a better party than the one I was at. I just didn't realize _how_ much better…" He let out a low wolf-whistle to show his approval of her choice in costumes.

Melanie was determined not to let Dr. Romano get to her, not after the day they'd had. He could whistle and ogle all he wanted, but she would not allow herself to get embarrassed over it. "Do you approve?" she asked coquettishly.

"Most definitely," he said before walking into the kitchen, depositing the box he'd brought onto the counter, and rejoining her in the living room. "So what are you? Some sort of half-naked gypsy?"

"She's Ariel, silly!" Ella cried, stomping one of her finned feet again.

"And what is this yellow creature? Some sort of monster?" Robert asked as he crouched down to get a good look at Ella.

"I'm Flounder!"

"Well, aren't you an adorable fish."

"Ella, I don't think Dr. Romano knows who Ariel and Flounder are," Mel said, walking over and standing next to him. When Ella gasped and looked wide-eyed at Romano, he stood up and shrugged his shoulders. "Ariel is from the movie The Little Mermaid and Flounder is her fish friend," Mel explained while helping him out of his coat. "Ariel has red hair, hence the wig, and is a mermaid. Can't you see my tail?"

She was turned away from Romano, placing his coat on the coat rack. "Not from this angle," he quipped. Mel cringed as she realized the double entendre she'd accidentally walked into.

Ella shuffled over to Robert. "You be Prince Eric!" she cried while proceeding to tap his feet with her flippers.

"Oh, Ella, I don't think Dr. Romano would want to play with us," Mel replied. "He's never even seen the movie before."

"Who's Prince Eric?" Robert asked, deciding to be generous with his time—for Ella's sake, of course.

"Prince Eric is Ariel's love interest," Mel explained. "She loves him from afar because she's a mermaid who lives in the sea and he's a prince who lives on land. But she strikes a deal with an evil sea witch who takes her voice as collateral in exchange for turning Ariel human for three days. She only has that time to try and get the prince to fall in love with her and kiss her which would make the spell permanent _and_ return her voice as well."

"So…Ariel can't talk until he kisses her?"

"Exactly."

"So she has to try to seduce him without being able to speak?"

"More or less, though this is Disney so there's not much seduction going on."

"Pity…Well, I think I could most definitely get into this game," he said, looking Mel in the eyes and smirking. He sat down on the sofa and held out his hand in a challenging gesture. "All right, try and make me kiss you."

Ella handed him a paper crown she'd gotten from Burger King. "Wear it!" she demanded. When he sighed and placed it on his head, she clapped in approval.

Mel started to laugh because the crown was too small to fit all the way on his head and it kept slipping off. "Laughing counts as talking!" he growled. "And if you breathe a word of this to anybody at the hospital, ever, your career will be over faster than it takes me to kill you and make it look like an accident!"

It was harder than she realized to not speak when she really wanted to. How had Ariel managed it? And how far was this little game going to go? Was she really supposed to get him to kiss her? Somehow she thought he would not be impressed if she tried to brush her hair with a fork…And was this game really appropriate to play with a child in the room? She couldn't imagine it was.

Ella waddled over to her tape player and turned it on. "Kiss the Girl" started to play and Mel turned away from Romano so he wouldn't see her laughing, albeit silently. Ella prodded Robert with her hand. "Kiss her, kiss her!" she cried.

Robert smiled and looked down at her. "What if I don't want to kiss her?" he asked curiously.

Ella climbed up onto the sofa and sat down next to him, her flippers sticking out over the edge. "You love her," she said, knowingly.

"I barely even know her."

"She loves you."

"She doesn't even know me," Robert said quietly, unsure if Ella was talking about him and Melanie or Ariel and Prince Eric. "If she really knew me, she wouldn't love me."

"Yes she will. Happily ever after," Ella concluded before leaning against Robert and closing her eyes. "Night night," she murmured.

"Night night, Ella." He looked down at her and smiled. He'd always had a soft spot in his heart for children. He'd never admit it to anybody, but he could have stayed like this all night long, rather than have Ella wake up by moving her.

Melanie had been standing at the other end of the sofa, listening to the exchange between the two, and smiled as Ella snuggled next to Robert. She bent down and untied the bandana around her ankles before sitting down next to Ella, so the child was wedged in between them. "Isn't she—" she started to say before Robert reached out with his good hand and placed a finger on her lips. "I don't recall breaking that spell," he said quietly with a shake of his head.

Mel sighed and frowned. Apparently he enjoyed this game. She bent down and picked Ella up to put her to bed. She was gone for a while, changing Ella out of her costume and into her pajamas, and tucking her into bed, leaving Robert alone in the living room. When she returned, he'd removed the crown from his head, but was still sitting on the sofa. He appeared lost in thought. She took off her wig, and bent down to shut off the tape player, which had been playing "Beauty and the Beast".

"I think I like it when you're silent," Robert said triumphantly when she sat down next to him with a pleading look on her face. "Maybe we should keep this game going forever. Of course that means you'll have to wear your outfit to the hospital…" They sat in silence for a few minutes and Mel thought it looked like he was dealing with some sort of internal struggle. He'd glance at her, and whenever she returned the gaze, he'd turn away.

Finally, he seemed to have come to some conclusion, and started to speak again. "All right…I just want to say something and since you can't interrupt me, now is the perfect time." He was quiet for another minute. "I wanted to explain about today. I don't want you to think that I'm some heartless bastard who doesn't give a damn about you. I mean, I am a heartless bastard, but I do give a damn about you. I wouldn't push you so hard if I didn't think you could handle it. I have great faith in you, Melanie. I just don't want to see you wasting your time with frivolities. There's precious little time in life as it is, you don't need to spend it on things and people that don't matter."

Melanie looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap, not really knowing what to say. He believed in her. He cared about her. But he was still a heartless bastard, and would continue to be so, at least in the workplace. It was almost like there were two Doctor Romanos. The cold, calculating man who threw his weight around at the hospital, and the warm, kind man who wore a Burger King crown and played with children in his personal life. It must be exhausting to be him, she thought.

"I…" his voice trailed off. Before she knew what was happening, Robert reached out with his good hand and placed it on her shoulder. He pulled her over to him, sliding his hand up to the back of her head, and kissed her on the cheek. "All right, spell's broken," he whispered in her ear. His hand remained where it was for a moment longer, his thumb caressing her neck before he stood up and walked into the kitchen. "You hungry? I brought you a pizza." His voice sounded slightly ragged, as though he was trying to catch his breath.

"I'm starving," she replied breathlessly, bringing her hand up to brush the cheek he'd kissed moments before. Her heart pounded and her stomach fluttered, but she tried not to show it as she joined Robert in the kitchen.

"Veggie delight," he said while putting a couple slices on a plate and handing it out to her. He was completely composed, giving no sign of what had just happened a minute ago. "I know you're still off meat for a while, so I figured that was safest. Normally I don't go for this vegetarian stuff, but just take it as a sign of how far I'm willing to go to support my med student. It's a bit cold now, unfortunately."

"That is so sweet of you, Dr. Romano," Mel said, accepting the plate with a smile. "I don't mind cold pizza." They sat down and began to devour their food. "So…tell me all about your date with what's-her-name," she said with a grin.

(SCENE)

Elizabeth returned home around one in the morning, and heard voices coming from her kitchen. They didn't seem to notice her presence, so she stood outside the closed door for a while, listening.

"Has anybody ever tried to actually strangle you before?" Melanie asked the mystery voice.

The voice laughed mirthfully before answering. "Many have tried, though none have succeeded." Elizabeth knew that voice, though she'd never heard it speak so lightly before. Robert? Melanie had said he had a date, so what was he doing here now?

As Melanie and Robert laughed, Elizabeth walked into the kitchen. "I'm home!" she called out while quickly taking in the scene. Melanie was sitting on the countertop, with her feet resting on the back of a kitchen chair. She had a tea mug in her hand and was sipping it leisurely. She was wearing a green sarong and one of Elizabeth's old bikini tops. What in the world? Robert, was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs, facing Melanie and looking up at her with a smile on his face. He also had a tea mug on the table next to him. She had never before seen him look so relaxed and carefree. She almost didn't recognize him.

Elizabeth watched as they turned to look at her, clearly startled. "Elizabeth!" Robert said, standing up and pushing his chair in. "Have a good ladies-night-out?"

"Yes, the movie was lovely. And what brings you here?" She would have asked him about his date, but it appeared as though he was still on it. The use of her full name instead of his chosen nickname for her didn't go unnoticed either.

"Oh, well my date night didn't pan out, so I thought I would do my teacherly duty and stop by to see how Melanie was doing. We got to talking, and you know how that goes…"

"We just lost track of time," Melanie added, setting her tea down and moving next to Robert. "What time is it?"

"One," Elizabeth said.

Melanie gasped. "Oh! We've been talking for over three hours! Isn't that funny," she said with a laugh.

Robert placed his mug in the sink and smiled. "Well, it's rather late, I should be going. I need my beauty sleep," he said before walking to the kitchen door. "I can see myself out. Oh, and Melanie, don't forget your homework assignment. I'll be quite disappointed come Monday if you fail to do it."

"Don't worry, Dr. Romano, you can count on me," Mel said with a grin as he left.

When Elizabeth heard the sound of the front door shut, she sat down and gestured for Mel to join her. "What are you wearing?" she asked after the girl was seated.

Mel laughed and told her all about the evening. "Wait, there was a kiss?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What were you thinking? What was he thinking? Oh my God!"

"Wait, don't get upset," Mel said hastily, "It was just a peck on the cheek. Barely noticeable, really. It was very G-rated, even Disney movies are more racy than that kiss was."

Elizabeth calmed down after that, but decided to have a talk with Robert on Monday about taking advantage of Melanie. "Well, why don't you stay the night again, it's too late to leave now," she said, standing up and walking into the living room to make a bed on the sofa for her.

"Oh, it was such a lovely evening!" Mel sighed as she followed her into the room and flopped down on the makeshift bed. "Dr. Romano is a wonderful conversationalist." She was lost in thought, and occasionally brought her hand up to touch the cheek that has been kissed.

Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. She didn't have the energy to lecture Melanie. It was quite clear to her that those two fools were in love with each other, and she washed her hands of it. They'd only known each other for two weeks, but sometimes those things happened that quickly. She just hoped Robert would have the sense to pace himself, and keep things discreet.

(SCENE)

While Melanie slept soundly that night, Robert was restless. What was he doing with his life? What was he thinking? He was thinking about her, that's what. Thinking about the fact that his king-sized bed now seemed far too big, and that there really needed to be somebody else in it with him. Thinking that his house seemed large and empty now, with just him and Gretel living in it. His thoughts turned to his date earlier that night. That woman had only been interested in his credit card limit and having a good time, and he'd found her to be a most unsatisfactory dining companion. It turned out that having been exposed to a woman who was interested in more than just money had made him look differently at the women he normally went for. Did that mean that he now had standards to uphold?

And there was a more pressing issue as well. One that he'd put off thinking about for as long as he could, though it had surfaced that evening in spite of his best efforts to keep it from doing so. He hadn't been intimate with a woman in some time, and definitely not since his accident. How could he possibly perform with only one arm? His bad arm was in a sling, completely useless, and would definitely get in the middle of things, should he attempt anything with a woman. That's why he'd left his date and gone to Lizzie's house. He was more than scared to attempt making love to a woman. He was terrified.

In his heart, he knew that Melanie didn't care about his arm. She didn't care that he looked different and had issues to deal with. If he was ever going to be intimate again with a woman, he wanted it to be with her. She wouldn't judge him or laugh at him. She was good for him. God, what was he thinking? He'd known that girl for two weeks, and he was practically planning their life together. He was such a fool. A sad, pathetic, lonely, old fool.

Robert didn't sleep that night.


	7. Progress

Robert got out of bed on Saturday morning feeling cranky. He was exhausted, his arm throbbed, and he was hungry, but didn't want to cook. Gretel whined to be let out, so he took care of her needs for a while before tending to his own.

A long, hot shower woke him up a little, and made him feel more human again. A quick shave later, and he was ready for the day. He still had no energy to cook, but found a Cup-o-Noodles in his cupboards and heated water for it. "Breakfast of champions," he said to nobody in particular before digging in. It was difficult to eat the noodles, with only one functioning hand, but he managed it, and felt grateful he didn't have anybody watching him but his dog.

When he'd finished breakfast, he started looking through his cupboards and wrote out a list of all the things he'd need for tomorrow. Melanie's homework assignment involved her coming over to his house and utilizing the kitchen. Luckily he hardly ever used the kitchen so he didn't have to worry about cleaning it before she arrived.

After a trip to the store to buy the ingredients he needed, he returned home and wondered what to do with the rest of his day. He tried reading a book, but always his thoughts turned to Melanie. He was tempted to call her, but didn't want to come across as desperate or creepy. That was the last thing he needed. He just needed to learn to be patient, not something that came naturally to him, but still an important life skill.

Fortunately for his sanity, he fell asleep that night with little problems. The day had dragged on for far too long. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

(SCENE)

Melanie slept in late Saturday morning, and woke up to Ella straddling her chest and staring into her face. "Totoro!" the young girl shrieked with a giggle before climbing off and running into the kitchen.

Mel smiled and sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning as Elizabeth walked into the room. "You look well-rested," she said in greeting, handing her a mug of tea.

"Thanks," Mel said, taking the mug from Elizabeth. "I'm trying to decide what to do today. "Since I don't have to write a paper this weekend, I could actually do something for fun if I wanted. Maybe I'll work on the cross-stitch Dr. Romano got for me. He says I have to do it with my left hand to strengthen it but it's so hard to do it that way. Each letter takes me almost an hour! But I could watch some movies too maybe."

In the end, she decided to take advantage of the nice weather outside. There wouldn't be many more warm days for some time to come, and she'd learned that days like these needed to be enjoyed. She'd lived in Chicago for three years now, but didn't think she'd ever adjust to the harsh winters.

With her cross-stitch and a book in her purse, she set out to walk around Lincoln Park. It was warm enough that she didn't need a jacket, but there was still a crispness in the air that meant autumn was about to kick into high gear.

The sky was clear and brilliantly blue and orange leaves fell from the trees as she passed them. As she walked, she couldn't help but feel a little lonely. There were plenty of people around her, but none were _with_ her. Funny how a person could be in a large crowd, yet still be completely alone. Mel slipped her cell phone out of her pocket and checked to see if she had any missed calls. There weren't any. She sighed and put the phone back in her pocket. She wondered what Dr. Romano was up to, but couldn't call him. It wouldn't be appropriate. And it would appear completely desperate.

As she walked, Mel continued to think about him. He was significantly older than she was, and in a position of authority over her. A relationship with him was impossible. She didn't care about the age difference. Historically-speaking, it was rather commonplace. She really liked him. Even though it was a relatively short time that she'd known him, and he had a cruel streak to look out for, she felt as though she'd always known him. But he couldn't possibly feel the same way about her. Though his behavior the night before would suggest otherwise. Bringing her a pizza with no meat on it had to be absolutely the most romantic thing she could think of.

The day progressed, and Mel spent time sitting on a park bench, working on her cross-stitch. She watched people laughing and talking to one another and wondered where they were going. People-watching was rather difficult to do when the cross-stitching took so much of her attention to do properly. It made her fingers cramp, and after a while, she put it away and walked off in search of lunch.

One bowl of vegetarian pho later, and she was back on her walk. It felt so good to be outside. She only wished she had somebody with her to enjoy it with. At least she'd have someone to hang out with tomorrow. By the end of her walk, Melanie was exhausted. The sun was setting, so she headed back to her dorm room to spend the rest of the evening watching movies and working on her cross-stitch.

(SCENE)

Sunday dawned, and the weather couldn't have been more different than the previous day's. It was cold and drizzly, the kind of day for staying in bed, sipping hot cocoa, and watching more movies, yet she had to make her way to Dr. Romano's house.

She wasn't sure what to wear, as he hadn't told her what she'd be doing. And his address was in a pretty posh side of town, so she wanted to look as good as possible. In the end, she chose a pair of black slacks and a chocolate brown sweater. She left her hair down but brought a scrunchie with her in case she needed to tie her hair back.

The drive over went pretty well, only one wrong turn, and she managed to drive up to the house at the exact time she was told to arrive. She was almost afraid to get out of the car and walk up to the house. It was immaculate, and very intimidating. The lawn was plush and green, the landscaped front yard, flawless. He must not let his dog out front, she thought to herself.

Mel walked up the white marble-tiled front walk, feeling afraid to step onto the grass for fear of crushing a single blade. The front porch was only a few steps up from the ground level, and there were pillars on either end. Roman columns. Of course, she thought with a smile.

She placed her hand on the large brass knocker on the double doors and rapped three times. From within, Gretel began to bark and run around, her claws scratching on what must have been hardwood floors. After about a minute, Mel was greeted by Dr. Romano who was holding the dog back, trying to keep her under control.

"Come in, come in," he said with a jerk of his head. "Gretel! Calm down! This is no way to behave in front of company." He yanked her collar, and Gretel finally moved enough to let Mel into the house. She closed the doors behind her and followed the doctor through the set of inner doors into the foyer.

Mel looked at Gretel and felt her heart begin to pound. She'd never seen a bigger dog in her life, and to her, it looked fierce and aggressive. "I'm going to put you outside if you don't behave yourself right now," Romano threatened the animal. "She really doesn't normally act like this, I can't figure it out. Maybe if you let her sniff you that would help. She'll probably calm down once she gets used to your scent."

Mel's throat was dry as she looked at the dog. It looked like it wanted to rip her face off. She stood in place, unable to move her legs or arms. "N-no," she stammered, her eyes huge as she looked at Dr. Romano.

Robert looked perplexed and annoyed, and proceeded to haul the dog through the house. He deposited her out on the back porch and shut the door behind her before walking back to where Melanie was now sitting in a chair in the foyer. She was shaking and her hands were clasped tightly. "Not a dog fan, huh?" he asked lightly as he walked over to her side.

"It's not that I don't like dogs," she said before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "I'm terrified of them."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Robert said, looking concerned. "Are you all right?" He put his arm around her shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze.

"I'll be all right, just give me a minute," Mel replied with a weak smile. "I feel like such an idiot. I haven't always reacted this way, but your dog has to be one of the biggest I've ever seen before."

"She's usually a very sweet dog, I assure you. I won't let her hurt you, I promise," he said, giving her another squeeze.

Melanie leaned her head against his chest for a minute, enjoying the feel of his strong arm around her shoulders. It made her feel safe. He was wearing a blue turtleneck that was very soft against her cheek. "Mmm, let's just stay like this all day," she murmured.

Robert chuckled and pulled himself away from her with great effort. "While I would love nothing more than to do just that, we have work that needs to be done," he said as lightly as possible. What he was really thinking, however, was that he wasn't sure he could trust himself around Melanie when she acted this way. This had to be a first—that a woman willingly wanted to be near him so intimately. He had to act as the polite, gracious host, when all he really wanted to do was take her up to his bedroom and test out his theory that his bed would feel much less empty with her in it as well.

Mel finally stood up and he led her into the kitchen. He got her a glass of water before speaking. "So, today I thought we could make cookies."

"Cookies?" she asked, her eyebrows rising in confusion. "How will that help me with my training?" She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip while he responded.

"Well…it won't, not really," he replied with a shrug. "But I'll get to eat cookies…"

Mel furrowed her brow, set down her glass, and placed her hands on her hips. "Doctor, was this just an excuse to get me to come over here and bake for you?" she asked sternly. Robert frowned and looked down at the floor. Mel huffed and frowned as well. "Doctor, the next time you want me to do something, all you have to do is ask. You don't have to manipulate me. I would be happy to make cookies for you. Or whatever you wanted," she said in scolding tones.

"People don't usually like being around me, so I've just gotten used to doing things this way," Robert said defensively. When Melanie raised an eyebrow at him, he sighed. "I know, I know, it's my own fault. But it just never occurred to me that you'd want to help me out."

Mel's face softened and she smiled warmly. "Oh Doctor, I really _do_ like spending time with you," she said as she walked over to him and gave his good hand a friendly squeeze. "I had a great time with you on Friday, you know. In the future, if you want to hang out with me, all you have to do is ask. Or call me. I have no life outside of school, so I'll probably always say yes."

Robert laughed warmly. "Well it's good to know that my faithful med student will always be available to me no matter when," he replied, squeezing her hand in return before letting go and walking to the kitchen table. "You might regret that someday, you know. I can be rather demanding."

"Maybe so, but I don't mind," Mel replied lightly. "So, what kind of cookies are we making today?"

Robert had purchased three bags of flour the previous day, as well as a bag each of white and brown sugar. "You bought four pounds of butter? Have you ever made cookies before?" Mel asked as she looked at the mound of ingredients he was placing on the kitchen table.

"Nope," Robert said with a shake of his head. "Baking was never my strong point. I figured you'd know how, though."

Mel rolled her eyes. "Why, because I'm a woman?" she asked. "Well, we are born with baking gene that's absent in men. Men can learn to bake of course, but it's much more difficult for them to perfect it. But we can work on it. It might take a really long time if you're a slow learner, though."

Robert handed her a cookbook. "I never said I was making them," he replied with a grin.

"You said 'we'," Mel said, opening the book and looking for a cookie recipe.

"By 'we', I meant 'you'," he informed her before sitting down in a chair to watch.

"Why am I not surprised?" Mel muttered before getting started.

The pair talked the morning away while Mel made four different types of cookie dough. Robert still had a lot of ingredients left by the time she was done. "They won't go bad," he said as they put them back into his cupboards. "I'll save them so you can come over and make Christmas cookies for me in a couple months."

"Gosh, thanks!" Mel said sarcastically. "I can't wait to come over and make Christmas cookies for you. Although, I do love making my grandmother's pfeffernusse cookies each year, and I don't have my own kitchen anymore…Maybe I'll make those for you."

"I don't even know what those are, but I'll look forward to trying them."

"You have to help me assemble the cookies," Mel informed him. "My arms are tired from all that stirring." She showed him how to dip the rolled snickerdoodle dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and how to put the cross-hatch marks on the peanut butter cookies. Both were easy tasks he could do with his good hand.

The two stood side-by-side, rolling dough and putting them onto cookie sheets for baking. They made a good baking team and Robert said so. "Well, if the doctor thing doesn't work out for us, maybe we can use this as a fallback and open a bakery," Mel replied with a grin.

"I think the doctor thing is going to work out for you," Robert said confidently before reaching out to brush some flour off her cheek. "But maybe _I_ could use it as a fallback."

Mel looked at him curiously. He shrugged and looked out the window. "The dog's all wet out there, I need to let her in," he said, turning away and walking towards the back door. Gretel looked shaggy and defeated as she loped into the house. "Melanie, why don't you come here and let the dog sniff you. She has to get used to your scent," Robert called out.

Mel took a deep breath and brushed her hands off on the apron she was wearing before walking slowly over to Robert and the dog. Robert walked over and put his arm around her shoulders. "There's nothing to be afraid of," he reassured her while they walked over to Gretel. "Just hold out your hand and let her sniff it." Gretel sniffed her hand and allowed Mel to scratch her head. "See, nothing to it. She likes you." Mel smiled and Robert moved his arm down from her shoulders to her waist, holding her tightly against him.

Gretel circled a few times before stopping in front of them and shaking herself off. Mel squealed while Robert yelped. "Gretel!" he shouted. "That's it, downstairs! You are a very bad dog, so you get to stay in the basement."

"Oh Doctor, you don't think she did it in purpose do you? Maybe you should give her another chance. I don't want her to start associating me with punishment, it's not a good way to get her to like me," Mel said nervously.

Robert let go of the dog and let her walk off into the house. "All right," he grumbled. "Maybe you can give her a treat in a while."

(SCENE)

They ate grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. Robert told her about his adventures with his polar bear group as they watched the rain falling in the backyard. "I can't believe you jump into lakes when it's freezing out!" Mel cried. "I don't like going into lakes any time. They always have slippery rocks and that gross grass stuff that touches my legs."

"Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it," Robert replied. "There's nothing quite as invigorating as plunging yourself into freezing cold water and living to tell the tale."

"_Nothing_ at all?" Mel asked, grinning wickedly.

Robert grinned in kind. "Well, maybe one or two other things," he replied with a shrug. "This winter, you'll have to join me."

"Oh, I don't think so…"

"But if you don't try it you won't be able to tell me how it ranks among the spectrum of invigorating activities."

Mel blushed and looked away from Robert. "I don't have much experience with invigorating activities," she murmured to herself. Gretel wandered into the room and over to her. "May I?" she asked while holding up the end of her sandwich. Robert nodded, so she held the food out to the dog. Gretel took it from her fingers delicately and allowed her the opportunity to pet her head again. "Good dog," Mel said as calmly as possible.

Robert watched as his girls bonded with one another. Maybe that was Gretel's problem. She'd spent her whole life being the alpha female in his life and perhaps she could sense that there was somebody who was usurping that position. Well, Melanie wasn't the first woman to claim his heart, but not even Elizabeth had ever been to his house before.

And Melanie's little comment about not being very experienced didn't go unnoticed by him. He just filed it away with all the other information she shared with him, for future use.

There were piles of cookies all over the kitchen by the time they were all baked that afternoon. "There's no way we can eat all of these," Mel said, looking bewildered.

"We can take them to work tomorrow," Robert said, wondering how he'd be able to carry all of those with one functioning arm. "You can share them with the ER docs since I know you're jonesing for a chance to butter them up. And then you can give some to the surgeons. It'll be a great opportunity to make a good first impression."

Mel wrapped them in foil and put them into paper bags. "I can take these with me tonight if you like," she volunteered. "I can drive them in to work tomorrow." Robert helped her load her car with the bags of cookies before she left for the evening.

"I know you'll probably turn back into a hardass at work," she said to him as they stood outside her car, in the rain. "You do have a reputation to uphold after all. And I know you do it because you care about my success, so I will try not to take it personally."

"Well, I like to keep people on their toes, so who knows what I'll do…" Robert said, leaning into her and bumping her shoulder playfully. "I'm sure it'll be a wonderful week."

Mel looked at him, thinking about how great their day had been. Her heart started to pound and she wondered if now was the time to be brave and take the bull by the horns, or to play it safe. Was now the time to think about what was appropriate or not? Or was it the time to think about what _she_ wanted to do? After a little more deliberation, she took a deep breath, and leaned over towards Robert. "I had a great day today," she said quietly into his ear before kissing him on the cheek. When he turned to her with a surprised look on his face, she blushed and brought one hand up to her mouth to cover the giggles that threatened to erupt. But her hand wasn't strong enough, and the giggles came anyway. "I'm sorry," she said once her giggles subsided. "That was probably wrong of me…"

"No, no, it was nice," Robert reassured her, at a loss for what else to say. His brain felt like it wasn't functioning properly at the moment. "But it's getting late, so you should probably head home now. We have an early morning tomorrow."

Once Melanie had left, he returned to the house and spent some quality time with Gretel, knowing she needed it. His mind was distracted, however, as he thought about Melanie. If he pursued a relationship with her, he'd be fired and she could possibly be expelled. If he didn't pursue her at all, he felt like he might explode. A man could only take love-from-afar so many times before he just went mad from it. What was he going to do about it? There seemed to be no easy answer. He was getting more convinced that their feelings were mutual, though, and that was a comfort to him. Hopefully things would continue to move slowly enough that he'd have the time to figure out the best course of action.

(SCENE)

The next morning, it took Mel three trips to her car to bring in all the bags of cookies and other items she'd brought with her, into the hospital. She set up half of them in the ER lounge and put out cups and a carton of milk as well.

Dr. Kovac, just getting done with his shift, was the first on the scene. "Did you make these?" he asked, looking at her with a flirtatious smile. Mel nodded and pointed out which kind was which. "What is a 'snickerdoodle'?" he asked warily. After a brief explanation, he tried one, and smiled again. "These are good. Thanks."

Jerry was up next, taking two of each kind and a glass of milk. Everybody, in turn, came and ate cookies. Dr. Romano arrived to see empty plates on the tables and smiles on the employee's faces. "Well, it appears as though you were indeed successful in buttering up the ER staff. I'm sure you'll be Miss Popular now," he said in greeting. When she'd finished cleaning up, he grabbed a bag of the remaining cookies and helped her take them upstairs to the OR. "Now you'll be meeting the people who _actually_ matter," he said as they rode up the elevator. "Try to make a good first impression."

Mel felt nervous over the thought of meeting Dr. Romano's colleagues. He wanted her to make him proud and she hoped she could live up to his lofty expectations. But apparently, homemade cookies and a glass of cold milk have the same effect on surgeons as they do on ER doctors and nurses.

Dr. Romano led her around the floor, introducing her to everyone. "Dr. Anspaugh, Dr. Romano speaks so highly of you. It's a pleasure to finally get to meet you. Would you like some cookies?" Mel asked the older gentleman while holding out a plate.

"Oh, my, they all look delicious," he said. "Which would you recommend?"

"All of them, sir," she said with a smile. "But if I _had_ to pick, I'd say either the peanut butter or the oatmeal raisin. That way I could eat more and pretend it's almost health food!" Dr. Anspaugh chuckled and took one of each before thanking her and excusing himself.

Robert introduced her to Dale Edson reluctantly. That man was such a weasel. It probably wouldn't be more than three minutes before he was openly flirting with Melanie. It turned out he underestimated Edson, because it only took half that time for him to start flirting.

"Robert, why have you been hiding this delightful girl from us? Trying to keep her all to yourself, are you? You sly dog," Edson said with a cheesy grin as he grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from Melanie's plate. "Well, Ms. Hahn, I hope you'll keep me in mind when it comes to your OR rotation. I'd be more than happy to show you the ropes."

Melanie smiled graciously. "Thank you, Dr. Edson, but Dr. Romano will be overseeing my OR rotation," she replied politely. "However, I will definitely keep you in mind should the need arise."

"Which won't happen," Robert added, stepping next to Melanie and placing his hand possessively on the small of her back. "But that is nice of you to offer."

Once Edson had grabbed a few more cookies, Robert steered Melanie over to the desk where the nurses were talking. Elizabeth walked past them, and caught his eye. He left Melanie to talk with the nurses, and walked to Lizzie's office.

"I don't suppose there's any need to ask you where Miss Hahn baked those cookies," she said in greeting after he'd closed her door. She was not smiling.

Robert sighed. "I suppose not," he replied. "She doesn't have an oven, so she might as well use mine. It never gets used."

Elizabeth crossed her arms. "She told me about Friday night," she said, changing the subject. "And she mentioned a kiss."

Robert put his hand on his hip and cocked his head at her. "I've got everything under control, Lizzie, but thank you for your concern," he said carefully, wondering where she was going with this.

"I hope for your sake _and_ hers that you do," Elizabeth said. "Now, I am not going to tell anybody about this, so don't worry about that. But, I won't lie for you two. If this blows up in your face and I'm questioned, I'm not going to lie. So, I don't want to know what goes on with you two. If you want to wine and dine your med student in the hopes that she'll sleep with you, fine. If you genuinely love her, fine. But I can't know about it."

Robert shook his head slowly. "You don't have to worry about it, I have it all worked out," he muttered. He did not want to be having this discussion with her right now. Or ever, really.

"I wish you luck, Robert," Elizabeth said. "You know full well that trying to keep a romance hidden here never seems to work out for those involved. Just, be very careful."

Robert turned and walked out of the room without responding. It wasn't any of her business. Just as he walked over to the front desk, his pager went off. Weaver. She was probably wondering where Melanie was. "All right, Miss Hahn, time for us to return to the ER." Melanie wrapped up her conversation with Shirley, the OR nurse, gathered her empty plates, and followed him to the elevator.

"Robert! You can't keep kidnapping your student and taking her up to the OR!" Kerry's shrill voice was in fine form as they approached the admit desk. "This is her _ER_ rotation, kindly remember that. And while we're on the subject, I wanted to ask you if the rumors about making Ms. Hahn play tennis out in the ambulance bay are true. That's not safe, she could get hit by an ambulance! And it has nothing to do with emergency medicine. Stop using her down time to work on her OR training. There's plenty of legitimate work around here for her to do."

"And a good morning to you too, Kerry," he replied as calmly as he could manage. "I'll make sure to take all of that under advisement. Now, if you will excuse me, Miss Hahn has work to do and you're keeping her from it." Mel looked at the board and picked out a patient with a migraine. She walked to the curtain area, leaving Romano and Weaver sniping at one another.

The week didn't improve much after that. Early Wednesday morning, while Robert was still cranky from his physical therapy session the previous night, a heart attack victim rolled into the ER. Melanie hadn't worked on a trauma yet that week and proved a little rusty. She wasn't able to find a vein to put in the IV and Chuny had to do it for her. And when she was trying to move to the other side of the gurney to assist Dr. Carter with the breathing mask, she tripped on a piece of equipment on the floor, and nearly fell.

Robert frowned, wondering what was going on. It wasn't like her to be so clumsy. She looked like she was going to start crying soon, but managed not to, thankfully. When it was over and the patient was being admitted upstairs for a triple bypass, he decided to give her a little space to clear her mind before talking with her. Unfortunately, Ms. Smith, Melanie's apparent arch enemy, didn't.

"Well, it appears that little Miss Perfect isn't so perfect after all!" she sneered as they walked down the hall together. "Maybe I'll start calling you Miss Klutz instead."

Melanie folded her arms and glared at Tina. "That's neither witty nor clever," she retorted. "You should give it a bit more thought, assuming you're capable of that, and get back to me with your ideas. Then I'll choose one." Robert's pride swelled to know that Melanie was capable of a cutting remark when necessary.

Tina pretended not to notice, and continued. "Though, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. You are being trained by the one-armed wonder after all. Look at all the weird stuff he makes you do. He's clearly crazy! And so handicapable!"

Robert watched from the end of the hall, stunned at how painful those words were, but remaining where he was. Melanie stopped walking and clenched her fists. "Don't you _ever_ say that about him!" she cried, her hazel eyes flashing with anger. "You don't even know him. He's the best advisor here!"

"If you think that, then you're crazy too. Everybody knows that he's never going to operate again and they're only keeping him here because they feel sorry for him!"

Just when it looked like Melanie was going to slap Tina, Dr. Lewis diffused the situation by walking in between the girls with a chart in each hand. "If you don't mind, there are patients to see," she said calmly while handing each of them a chart. "And perhaps you should avoid each other for the rest of the day."

When the girls had stormed off to opposite corners of the ER, Susan rolled her eyes and shook her head. Romano caught her eye, and from the other end of the hall, she spotted Pratt. Both men looked disappointed. "Were you just going to let them get into a catfight in the hallway?" she asked.

"Chick fight, yeah!" Pratt said with a grin.

"I was going to break it up, but you got there first," Romano replied as innocently as possible.

Susan shook her head. "Men…" she muttered before walking away.

(SCENE)

Robert tracked Melanie down in the suture room. "Is everything ok?" he asked in greeting.

"Mr. Thomas had an accident slicing a bagel," she replied sullenly, not looking up from the hand she was suturing.

"A surprisingly common injury," Robert added, walking to her and glancing over her shoulder. Her movements were precise and efficient, everything she hadn't been just a short time ago. Her breathing and temperament were calm, but he could tell she was upset.

"After this, take your lunch break. We need to talk." He stood there, watching her movements and surreptitiously glancing down her blouse for another minute, before walking out and allowing her to finish unattended.

Melanie completed her sutures and found somebody to discharge Mr. Thomas, about fifteen minutes later. She walked up to Dr. Romano's office, where he had sandwiches from Doc Magoo's waiting for them. "Do you want to tell me what happened with the trauma this morning?" he asked after several minutes of awkward silence, the only noise being the sounds of them chewing.

Melanie swallowed the bite of sandwich she was eating and sighed. "It's the first time I've done a heart attack," she said quietly. "I just didn't expect it to affect me that way."

Robert frowned. She'd told him about her father's fatal heart attack and how it had inspired her to become a doctor, but he hadn't thought about it in connection to this. "I suppose the first time would be rather upsetting," he replied sympathetically.

"I just couldn't get my dad's face out of my head," she continued. "He was taken to a hospital, and they worked on him just like we did. But…" her voice trailed off as tears filled her eyes and she began to sniffle. Robert handed her a tissue as she cried.

After a minute of listening to her sob, he glanced at the office door, which he'd shut. The shades were drawn so nobody could see them. It took another minute to work up the nerve, but he finally stood up, walked over to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Melanie wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. He stood there, not saying anything, but held her head against him, lovingly, with his good hand.

Melanie calmed down after awhile, and they finished their meal. Robert smiled at one point. "What?" she asked curiously.

"I was just thinking about your confrontation with Ms. Smith," he replied. "You held your own quite well. And I think you were actually defending me. I've never had two chicks fighting over me before…I'm quite flattered."

Melanie blushed and looked down at her hands. "I stand up for the people I care about," she said quietly. "It's not something I do that often."

"Well, hopefully you won't have to do it again," Robert said as he stood up to wipe the crumbs off his tie.

Melanie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I should have slapped her when I had the chance," she muttered.

"I didn't think you had such a vicious side to you. I'm a little shocked," he replied, with a wicked grin. And a little turned on, he thought to himself. Vicious was just another word for passion as far as he was concerned.

(SCENE)

Robert hoped that Melanie would be up to her usual high standards after this, but it seemed that it wasn't meant to be. Her confidence had been thoroughly shaken and having to work around Tina didn't help much. He knew from experience with Elizabeth that enabling her to procrastinate and not face her problems didn't resolve anything. It only made the problems worse.

On Friday morning, when a GSW rolled in, Robert made sure to make himself scarce after checking that Melanie was in the trauma room. She looked nervous that he wasn't there, and as much as he wanted to join her, he didn't.

"Why aren't you in there with Ms. Hahn?" Kerry asked as she walked towards the room.

"She's been having a bad week," he replied tersely. "I'm trying to get her back on track." He ducked out of the way when Melanie turned to look towards the door.

"I'll keep an eye on her for you," Kerry said before joining the team.

Robert continued to watch and noted that Melanie was able to put in the IV flawlessly and didn't trip or stumble at all. Apparently she impressed Dr. Carter enough that he walked her through inserting a chest tube. She looked excited, not nervous like she normally did.

Robert walked to the admit desk to wait until the trauma was over. Kerry returned first. "Ms. Hahn performed brilliantly," she reported. "She seemed to notice your absence though. I told her you'd been called away to an important meeting."

He shook his head. "She's been a complete klutz this whole week, and the moment I leave the room, she does the best she's ever done," he said, sounding confused and disappointed.

"Performance anxiety, perhaps?" Kerry suggested. "Maybe you're making her nervous. I can only imagine the demands and pressures you're putting on her."

"I'm not that bad…" Kerry looked at him with raised eyebrows, not saying a word. "All right, I am. But, she's always been very obedient so I haven't had to be _too_ hard on her."

"Still, you're her advisor and she knows you expect nothing less than perfection. It's a lot to live up to."

Melanie had finished in the trauma room and ran over to Dr. Romano. "Doctor, you missed it! I sewed in a chest tube!" she cried excitedly. "And I didn't mess up. I wish you could have seen me."

Robert shook his head sadly. "I wish I could have been there. Too bad I was in that meeting," he said with a sigh. "Next trauma, I'll make sure I'm there."

Melanie grinned at him, and then turned to pick up a chart. "Foreign object in…" her voice trailed off. "How do you get something out of there?" she asked quietly to herself.

Dr. Carter walked past her at that moment. "I'll help you if you want," he volunteered. "I have a collection of all the foreign items I've removed from people over the years. I haven't gotten anything new in a while. Let's go see what it is."

Melanie wrinkled her nose, but laughed as well. "Alright," she replied. "Thanks Dr. Carter."

They soon found out that their patient had gotten a Transformer lodged in his rectum. "They're more than meets the eye," Melanie quoted under her breath, causing Carter to try stifling a laugh unsuccessfully.

"I had some of these as a kid," he commented while showing her the procedure. "But I never thought about putting one there..." Once they'd finished and were out of earshot of the patient, he spoke again. "Well, if you want to clean and sanitize this, you're welcome to keep it," he said, holding the toy out to her. "To the doctors go the spoils of rectal extractions. That's my philosophy."

Melanie laughed and shook her head. "No thanks, why don't you add it to your stash. I'll clean it off for you, though." Carter showed her his collection and she added the Transformer to it. "I bet nobody will believe it when we tell them what we found. I still don't understand how somebody gets a toy like that stuck so far in there…"

"There are some things in life that we aren't meant to know, Ms. Hahn," Carter waxed philosophically as they returned to the admit desk.

"Did you have fun?" Romano asked with a wry smile as Melanie walked over to him. She stood close enough that their arms were touching.

"Yes, it was thrilling," she replied.

"What was thrilling?" Tina, who was coming over to pick up a chart, asked.

"Dr. Carter and I removed something from a man's rectum," Melanie replied.

"Oh? That sounds disgusting. What was in there?"

Melanie moved her hand around Dr. Romano's waist, carefully reaching down behind him into his back pocket and grabbed the bag of M&M's she knew he always kept on his person. He glanced at her but didn't stop her as she tossed the bag at Tina. "This," she said cheerfully.

The bag hit Tina's arm and fell to the floor. She screamed and jumped away. "What are you doing?" she cried angrily.

Melanie bent down and picked up the bag of candy. She ripped off one corner and poured some out into her hand. "Want some?" She tipped her head back and poured them into her mouth. "They're _inside_ the bag, so they're alright," she declared.

Tina looked horrified. "That is so disgusting," she cried before hurrying off away from Melanie.

Romano held his hand out and Melanie poured some of the M&M's into it. "I like your style, kid," he said with a chuckle.

Melanie grinned and handed the bag back to him. "Thanks. I figured I probably won't ever be best friends with Tina, so I might as well have fun with it."

Robert glanced around quickly to make sure nobody else was around before patting her hand supportively. "I suppose that's one way to deal with it," he murmured. He felt a sharp stab of anger welling inside of him. She was too sweet a girl for people not to like her. She shouldn't have to deal with the pain of rejection that he was all-too-familiar with. It would make her bitter and hateful like him if she wasn't careful.

Out of the corner of her eye, while Kerry Weaver was walking down the hallway to an exam room, she spotted Robert and Melanie standing close together at the admit desk. His hand was on hers, and Kerry wasn't completely sure, but she would have sworn that he was smiling, and not predatorily. When she blinked and looked again, however, he'd turned away and Melanie was walking towards the board. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she decided that she'd have to keep a close eye on those two. Perhaps there were more reasons than just pressure and a desire for perfection causing Ms. Hahn to act nervously in Robert's presence.


	8. The Date

As Robert was finishing up on Friday, he saw a patient roll into the ER that gave him an idea for Melanie. A high school football player came in with a broken ankle. While he was being cared for by Michael Gallant, a fourth year med student, and Melanie, Robert was thinking about something he'd heard a couple times before. Sometimes football players took ballet lessons to improve their strength and coordination. He wondered if something like that would be good for Melanie's coordination and confidence. Not ballet, perhaps, though it would be rather amusing to watch her try it out. She'd looked hot in the mermaid outfit, but he wasn't sure how hot she'd look in a pink tutu and toe shoes. Maybe not ballet.

That night, he called around to find dance schools in the area that he and Melanie could go to. There were several, and most of them offered private lessons. Sure they cost more, but he didn't care. If he was going to make a fool of himself dancing, he sure as hell wasn't going to do it with an audience.

Finally, after an hour of phone calls, he found a place nearby that had private ballroom dance lessons that would take them on Saturday nights. The man on the phone assured him that they'd be able to modify the dance moves so that he could still do it with his bad arm. Now all he had to do was make sure Melanie never worked those nights.

After breakfast on Saturday, when he'd managed to work up enough nerve, Robert called Melanie's cell phone, hoping she was awake. Judging by the grogginess in her voice, she'd been asleep still. "What day is it?" she slurred in greeting.

"Saturday. You're not a morning person, are you?"

"What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning. It's time to be awake."

"But I just went to bed four hours ago…"

"What were you doing until six in the morning on a Friday night?"

"Studying…"

"Studying what?"

"Latin."

"Why? You already know the words you need for medicine."

"I know, but I figured that if I knew all of that, why not learn all the rest too? It might come in handy some day."

He paused a moment, letting his thoughts form into words. "I'm frowning now, but you probably can't tell."

"Actually I can. You have a very distinct frown; it's audible over the phone."

"You need to stop studying all night long. Especially on a Friday. And especially not dead languages that are completely irrelevant in everyday life. Boy, you weren't kidding when you said you were a brain in high school…" He heard Melanie sigh over the phone and smiled. He wondered what she looked like in the morning, bleary-eyed and tousle-haired. "So…what are you doing today?" he asked, getting to the point of his call.

Melanie was quiet for a few seconds before responding. "I was going to sleep a bit more, but after that, probably study. I wanted to start in on Greek next…," she murmured, half-asleep already.

"No more studying, I'm forbidding you to study this weekend. You need to find some more balance in your life. How do you feel about dancing?" There was no easier way to ask her than to just throw it out there. He hoped he didn't sound as nervous as he felt.

"I don't know how to dance…"

"Well that's why we'd take lessons."

"We, like me?"

"No, we, like us." Melanie didn't respond for almost a minute. He wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep. "Melanie? You there?"

"Yeah…Why dance lessons?"

"To help with your confidence and coordination. If you're lighter on your feet, just imagine how much better you'll do in traumas and surgeries. I think this will be really good for you."

"Are you really going to do it too?"

"I thought I'd try. I'll probably make a fool of myself, but I'll do it to help you out." He didn't tell her that he also enjoyed the thought of getting free reign to be as close to her as possible without the threat of being fired from work. It wasn't at the hospital, so that was an advantage, and it wasn't at his house either, so there was less temptation for him to maneuver around.

"Doctor…you don't have to…I don't know about this…"

"Well I've already signed us up, so you have to say yes."

"Then yes, I guess I'll go…What time?"

"Come over here at five and pick me up. The lesson starts at six. And when we're done we can go to dinner."

"All right, that sounds good to me. What should I wear?"

Robert was silent for a few seconds as he thought about all the possibilities for how she could dress. That mermaid costume for one. Or just naked would be fine with him. "Jeans and a tee-shirt should be fine I guess. We'll be getting hot and sweaty…" When Melanie didn't respond, he clarified himself. "From the dancing, I mean…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought you meant…Listen, Doctor, if I'm going to be busy tonight with you, I need to get some more sleep now. So…"

"Oh, yeah, go back to sleep. I guess I'll see you later…So…"

"Yeah…well…bye."

"Bye."

Robert sighed as he closed his phone. He hated talking on the phone, it was so awkward. He never knew how to wrap up a conversation, and it was always worse when he was speaking to a woman. It just accentuated how difficult it was for him to talk to them. It made him feel like a nervous, gawky teenager again, and that was a part of his life he was definitely not interested in revisiting. In so many ways, it was just easier to stay single. It worked for him.

He looked down at his phone, and it dawned on him what had just happened. He'd called Melanie and asked her to go dancing with him and then out to dinner. And she'd said yes. That was, for all intents and purposes, a date. They were going to go dancing. He didn't know how to dance. He was going to make a fool of himself. What had he been thinking? But it was too late to back out now. Maybe Melanie would be even worse a dancer than he was and not notice him tripping over her feet. If nothing else, maybe she would just have the heart to not laugh at him. He didn't think he could handle that.

Melanie turned off her phone and tried to get back to sleep, but her heart was pounding too hard. Doctor Romano had practically asked her out! Sure it was for work, and probably didn't mean anything, but still…She was going to dance with him! It was a thrilling and terrifying thought. What if she was awful? What if she stepped all over his toes? Or worse, what if she was good and he was terrible? That was the worst possible scenario, of course.

After lying in bed for a while longer, fretting, she slipped back off to sleep. Later that afternoon, when she'd gotten up and had showered, her worries turned towards her wardrobe and what she was going to wear. All the tee-shirts she owned seemed too grubby to wear out in public, especially since they'd be going to dinner afterwards. After consulting with her roommate, Laura, they decided on a dressy red v-necked blouse and black slacks. There were ruffles along the blouse's collar that fluttered whenever she moved. It was light enough that she wouldn't get too hot. "And you can show off the girls too," Laura added with a wicked grin.

Melanie blushed and laughed nervously. "Oh, I can't do that…" she murmured.

"Sure you can, wear my push-up bra," Laura offered. "We're the same size after all." Melanie reluctantly tried the bra on with the blouse and was pleased with the results. "I think your fella will be too…" Laura said with a smile. Melanie had been careful not to tell her who exactly she was going out with. She knew things had to be discreet.

After some more primping and fretting, she left for Romano's house. She didn't even have to honk the horn or get out and knock on his door before he was out of the house and in her car. He must have been watching for her through a window.

When Robert got into the car, he looked closely at her. Something was different about her. Her hair and makeup were the same. Her clothes were similar to what she normally wore, though the collar was more open than she tended to wear at work. That was it! He glanced nonchalantly down and confirmed that he was able to see much more of her than he usually could. He definitely liked what he saw. It's so unfair, he thought to himself, women don't want us to objectify them, yet they wear clothes designed to make us do just that. How was he supposed to be an evolved, modern man when all he wanted to do was to bury his face in her cleavage? "Don't you look…alluring tonight?" he finally said carefully, making sure to look her in the eyes.

Melanie blushed scarlet, glanced down at her blouse and smiled shyly. "Thanks, Doctor…" she murmured.

He frowned. "You know, when we're not at work, why don't you call me 'Robert'? It'll be easier when we're together in public. Less explaining to do," he said as though it were no big deal at all.

Melanie's heart fluttered. "All right…Robert…" she breathed.

Robert smiled to himself and looked out the window. He liked the way she said his name. Most times when a woman said his name she was yelling at him, reprimanding him, or crying. Of course it was usually his fault, but still, it got old after a while. It was nice hearing a woman say his name as though she actually enjoyed saying it.

Melanie took a deep breath and cleared her throat before speaking. "So…Robert…What made you think of dance lessons?" As he explained his idea to her, she glanced at him through the rearview mirror. He was wearing a black polo shirt and blue jeans. The top button of the shirt was undone and she could see chest hair that she'd never really noticed before. It gave her a thrill to think about running her fingers up and down his chest. Though, she hoped he was pleasantly hairy, and not at a level where there would have to be that awkward, yet necessary discussion about grooming habits.

Robert was talking about the football player, but got the distinct feeling that Melanie wasn't listening to a word he was saying. He could see her looking at him through the mirror. Was she checking him out? That hardly seemed possible, but it was the only explanation he could think of. He decided to change the subject and see if she really was paying attention. "So I thought after dinner tonight we could elope. You can move in with me, and we can get started on a family. I'm thinking at least six kids. We'll need to get you started as soon as possible if we're going to have that many. It'll be tough with your surgical residency, but I think we'll be able to make it work. What do you think?"

Melanie nodded her head. "I don't really know anything about football, so I'll trust your judgment," she said absentmindedly.

"Ok…" Hopefully she was paying more attention to the driving than she was to him. He looked back out the window. Melanie was checking him out. Did she like what she saw? Suddenly he felt nervous. What if she didn't like what she saw? "Melanie, just out of curiosity, what do you think of my shirt? It's new and I'm not sure if I like it or not."

Melanie blushed and returned her eyes to the road. "Oh, I think it's great," she replied nervously. "It fits you really well. It makes you look very muscular."

Robert nodded his head. "Thanks," he replied. Guess that answers that question, he thought to himself. His nervousness dissipated a little. He was a bit disappointed when they arrived, because Melanie put on a coat and he couldn't see her lovely figure anymore. It was quite a chilly evening, and he put one on as well. He offered her his arm in a gentlemanly fashion, which she readily accepted, and together they walked to the entrance.

He was immediately glad he'd signed them up for private classes when he looked into the ballroom and saw the size of the class. There were at least ten couples and they were taking turns dancing in front of each other. Definitely not his style. He liked to be perfect at something before attempting to do it in front of an audience.

Their room was much smaller in comparison. The instructor was already there, and smiled when they entered the room. "Good evening, please come on in. Take off your coats. Let's get started," she said when they walked inside. She was a pretty woman, a redhead, taller than both of them, and quite elegant. She appeared to be in her early to mid fifties, and both Melanie and Robert felt at ease in her presence.

Melanie took off her coat and hung it up before helping Robert out of his. They moved out onto the dance floor, over to where the instructor was standing. "My name is Joanna, and I've been an instructor here for over ten years," she said in introduction, shaking hands with both of them. "Do either of you have any dancing experience?" When they shook their heads, she nodded and smiled. "That's all right, we'll just go slowly then."

Joanna made them stand next to each other as she inspected them. "Not much height difference," she said from behind. "Normally it's ideal for the man to be taller, but with the alterations we'll be making, I think this will work perfectly. You two fit very well together. Built rather the same, proportion-wise. This is good; you'll be able to dance as a cohesive unit better than most couples." Robert glanced at Melanie and smiled shyly. He liked the thought of being a "couple". "This is going to be important for both of you. You'll have to have complete trust in each other. Normally, the man leads and the woman follows. She has to trust him completely. That's still going to happen, but Robert, you're going to have to trust Melanie too. She'll be moving closely to you and you'll have to trust that she won't hurt your arm. I'd imagine you're rather protective of it." Robert hadn't really thought about the idea that he could get hurt from dancing. Hopefully their moves would be precise enough that nothing would happen.

Melanie bit her lip and looked over at Robert. "I'll just apologize in advance for stepping on your shoes and kicking your shins," she said quietly to him. "It will be an accident, I promise."

The time flew by as Joanna worked with them on how to stand together and move as a unit. Instead of Robert holding Melanie's hand in his, as would be the normal way of dancing, she put her hand on his shoulder, so he had to lead with it. Because of that alteration it also meant that their bodies were closer together than a normal couple would be. This made it more difficult to move, because they had less room to move their legs. Most of the time was spent bumping into each other. They both had bruises on their knees by the time they were done.

Joanna had been right, trust was really important, and they learned that very quickly. Melanie didn't like moving backwards and not knowing where she was going, but had no choice than to let Robert lead her. She kept craning her neck to look over her shoulder and he had to keep yanking her back to face him. Robert was finding it easier to trust Melanie than he thought, because she was very gentle and cautious around his arm. He was finding it harder, though, to trust himself to lead with his shoulder instead of his hand. It took a lot of strength, and he hoped he had enough for what they would be doing over the next couple of months.

By the time it was over, they were exhausted. Robert's arm was throbbing, but he tried to ignore it as best as he could. Melanie's feet were killing her but she had enjoyed the lesson. She barely had the energy to put her coat back on and wish Joanna a good night as they left.

"Oh that was fun!" she cried as they walked back to the car. "So tiring, but fun!" Robert smiled at her and nodded his head in agreement. When he started to rub his sore shoulder, she moved behind him and took over. "Here, let me," she said, knitting his muscles with her fingers. She rubbed the back of his neck as well. Robert closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her touches. "You must be in a lot of pain right now." He nodded his head and she made a sympathetic sound. "Hopefully it'll get easier and less painful when we get the hang of it. Luckily we're only doing it once a week."

Robert could have stayed like that all evening, but his legs were sore too and he needed to sit down. With a groan he pulled away from Melanie and started to walk to the car. "All right, let's figure out what to do for dinner," he said as she started following behind. "What would you like?" he asked as they buckled their seatbelts.

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "There's a burger place down the street," she said. "I saw it as we drove up."

Robert wrinkled his nose. "Don't you want something fancier? I'm buying…" he replied. "What about Italian? I know a great place that makes cannoli that are to-die-for."

"All right," Melanie agreed. "You'll have to give me directions. I've never had cannoli before…"

"Oh, you'll love them, I promise. So, at the end of the block, make a left…"

They arrived at Il Vicinato Ristorante ten minutes later and found parking a block away. It was a busy night and they ended up waiting a half hour for a table, though they didn't mind. There was plenty to talk about while they waited. Robert loved getting to know Melanie better. And he on occasion would tell her things about himself. She already knew more about his family than everybody else at the hospital, combined.

Once they had been seated and ordered their food, they started talking again. Neither of them really had a plan on a particular topic. One of them would start a conversation and they would just see where it went. Melanie was more apt to run off on tangents than Robert, but he loved to see how her mind worked. She could dance around subjects, and veer off in another direction for quite some time, but always managed to come back to the topic at hand by the end. Sometimes he had trouble following her thought process, but it was always an enjoyable ride. Robert, on the other hand, was more direct and to-the-point when he spoke. But he was great at telling stories. Particularly stories about his medical school days in which he, apparently, was quite a prankster.

"You put glue on the end of his stethoscope?" Melanie asked incredulously as the waiter placed a plate of eggplant parmesan in front of her.

"Yes," Robert replied, picking up his fork and stabbing at the plate of shrimp scampi he'd ordered. "So when he put it against the patient's chest it got stuck there and they couldn't get it off again."

"But that's not right to do that to a patient…" Melanie chided, cutting into her food.

"But they weren't patients really, we were practicing on each other," Robert explained. "He always partnered up with Dan Wexford, this real jerk. He was the most pompous student in our year. So I knew he'd end up being the one with a stethoscope hanging from his chest for the rest of the day."

"Couldn't they get it off?"

"Nah, I used crazy glue."

Melanie gasped and her eyes sparkled as she giggled. "I can't believe you did that!" she cried. "You're lucky you didn't get into trouble."

"That's the best part actually. Dan thought he'd done it on purpose and they ended up getting into a huge fight. They never found out who really did it," Robert said as he twirled a few strands of linguine onto his fork and took a bite. He'd really wanted a steak, but hadn't wanted to have Melanie cut it for him. The shrimp was good, however, so he didn't mind too much. "How do you feel about seafood?" he asked curiously after a minute. "You can have one of the shrimp if you'd like to try it."

Melanie pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I haven't decided," she finally replied. "Let me try one and see how I do."

The polite thing to do of course would be to put a shrimp onto her plate for her to eat. However, Robert was feeling bold and impulsive, so he picked up a shrimp and held it up to her mouth. Her eyebrows rose as she watched him do this, but instead of objecting, she leaned in and took a bite. She chewed while he popped the rest of the shrimp into his mouth with a wicked grin.

"Ok, that was delicious," she sighed after a minute. "I guess seafood is all right." She pointed down to her plate. "Would you like to try mine?"

Robert nodded his head. "Sure, though eggplant is significantly less sexy than shrimp," he said playfully.

Melanie cut off a piece and held her fork out to him. He took the bite, which turned out to be far too big, but he was stuck with half of it hanging out of his mouth, looking foolish, which she knew he hated more than anything else in the world. Feeling emboldened, she glanced around quickly and saw that nobody was paying the least bit of attention to them. With a grin she leaned forward into him and delicately bit off the extra eggplant, making sure to press her lips to his for a second before sitting back down. Robert's eyes were as big as saucers and he tried not to choke as he began to laugh. "Less sexy than shrimp, huh?" Melanie said before breaking out into a laugh of her own. After a few seconds the realization of what she'd done hit her and she buried her face in her hands as he continued to chuckle. "Oh I can't believe I did that!" she moaned.

"I like this side of you," Robert said lightly, reaching out and pulling her hand away from her face so he could look at her again. He kept her hand in his while he talked. "You need to stop being embarrassed by it. There's nothing wrong with it, you know." He stopped and wrinkled his brow. "You're not one of those super religious people who thinks sex is a sin, do you?"

"No, it's just…I don't know…I just…" she looked very uncomfortable now and he almost felt bad that he was pressing her so hard. He could see it in her eyes; she didn't have to explain it. It was pain, pain from a broken heart. He knew that look because it was the same thing he saw whenever he looked in the mirror. She was too young to have that look. Too young and vibrant to have been hurt so badly by somebody. He didn't know the story, but he was certain that he would someday, and decided that for once, he would be patient. He'd let her tell him in her own time. She wasn't going anywhere and neither was he.

(SCENE)

After they'd finished dinner, Robert ordered some cannoli to go, and they left the restaurant. Melanie had been subdued since he'd pushed her to talk and he knew it was best to give her some space. He didn't try to start a conversation while she drove him home. He did, however, insist that she come inside and join him for coffee and dessert. "It's the best cannoli in town, you can't miss out on your first chance at it," he said as he unlocked the front door. "I got an extra one for Gretel, you can feed it to her. She'll love you for that."

Gretel grudgingly accepted the treat as Robert made coffee. Melanie was scratching the dog's ears when Robert handed her a mug and sat down next to her at the kitchen table. He put the box of cannoli in between them and took one out for himself. "Is your arm still sore?" she asked as they ate their food.

Robert nodded his head. "Not as bad as before," he replied, "It'll be fine by morning." He looked closely at Melanie as she was trying to eat her dessert without making a mess. "How do you like it?" he asked curiously.

"It's good," she replied between bites. "A bit messy though…"

"Messy, sticky, drippy, that's what makes it so good…" He watched her eat for a while. She developed a technique that seemed to work for her in which she ate the ricotta filling first and then the crispy shell afterwards.

"It's easier if you suck out the cream first," she commented with a smile. Robert bit his tongue and willed himself not to make the filthy comment that was screaming in his head to be let out. He was trying to keep her here, not fleeing from his house in disgust, after all. He'd learned enough from his interactions with Elizabeth over the years that sometimes subtlety and discretion were important things to practice when speaking to a woman. So instead, he just smiled and nodded.

When they'd finished their food, they took their coffee mugs out into the living room and sat on the couch to relax. Melanie was sleepy from all the food and exertion earlier that night, and there were a lot of soft pillows on the couch. To stay awake, she sat behind Robert and began to massage his shoulders again. There wasn't much conversation, however, and before she knew it her eyes were closed.

(SCENE)

Robert opened his eyes, and wondered what was going on. He was lying on the couch and all the lights were still on. He'd clearly been asleep. And there was something big underneath him. Or more like someone, because there were arms wrapped around his shoulders and legs entwined with his. Melanie. Had they fallen asleep last night while she'd been massaging his shoulders? What time was it? He wanted to get up and look at a clock, but her arms were holding onto him tightly. She was nuzzling one of his ear lobes with her nose and making little mewling noises in her sleep. He felt a thrill course through his body as he listened to her and felt her touching him. How was he going to manage to behave himself around her after this? He actually looked forward to the normalcy of work in the hope that it would force him to be professional in her presence. Elizabeth will kill me if she finds out I slept with my med student, he thought to himself lightly.

While lying there, he wished he could see what Melanie looked like, but he didn't want to move and wake her up. He stayed on the couch for some time trying to fall back to sleep until one of her hands began to knead his chest and the other slipped under his shirt. The thrills he was feeling grew more intense and began to concentrate on a particular area of his body that made it necessary for him to get up and move away from her. He carefully moved Melanie's arms off his chest and sat up gingerly, rubbing his eyes and looking down at her. Her hair was just as tousled as he'd imagined it would be, and her lips were pursed as though waiting for his kiss. But if he kissed her then wouldn't be able to stop himself. In a great act of willpower, he tore himself away from the couch and walked off, leaving her alone.

After returning from a walk around the house to calm himself down, in which he'd managed to look at a clock and see that it was only one in the morning, he unwrapped a blanket on the couch and draped it over Melanie. Gretel had jumped up onto the couch and was now sleeping on the girl's feet. Robert kissed Melanie on the forehead and patted Gretel's tummy for a minute before shutting off the lights and going up to his own bedroom to sleep for the rest of the night.

(SCENE)

Robert wondered if Melanie would have any idea that they'd fallen asleep together the previous night when he woke up the next morning. Based on her greeting to him, she didn't, and he decided not to tell her.

"I'm always falling asleep on people's couches!" she said with a smile as she walked into the kitchen. "Thanks for putting that blanket on me, it was a chilly night last night."

"No problem," he said with a smile. "Would you like to stay for breakfast?"

"Sure. You want me to make it?"

"You don't have to."

"I don't mind. What would you like? Pancakes? French toast?"

"I think I have all the ingredients for French toast," Robert replied as he opened a cupboard and looked for bread.

Once everything had been gathered, Melanie set to work making their breakfast. "I don't have many opportunities to cook in my dorm room, so I like to do it when I have the chance," she said as Robert set two plates on the counter next to her. "Oh and speaking of dorms, I wonder what my roommate will think when I didn't come back last night…She's going to think I'm such a slut!" She laughed lightly and shook her head. She placed slices of French toast on the plates and walked to the kitchen table with them.

Robert had poured glasses of orange juice for them and placed butter and syrup on the table. "Well you just let her think that all she wants," he replied. "You know the truth."

Melanie nodded and took a bite of her breakfast. "I know."

Soon, they were talking about work and how they expected the week to go. "Hopefully there will be some really cool traumas and Tina will stay out of my way," she said, crossing her fingers.

"And hopefully you'll learn a lot from whatever you do and you'll just ignore whatever Tina says," Robert added.

Once breakfast was over and the dishes had been washed, Melanie felt it was time for her to return to her dormitory. "I have laundry to do," she explained while slowly walking to the foyer. "But I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early. We'll have plenty of time to spend together this week…" She slowly put on her coat and smiled at Robert.

"Sure, we'll be able to spend time suturing and patching up drunks. It'll be a lot of fun," he said lightly, though he was feeling pouty that she was leaving. "You're sure you don't want to stay for lunch? You can do your laundry later on…"

Melanie shook her head and frowned. "I really do have to go," she said mournfully. When she saw how sad he looked, though, she walked over to him and gave him a hug. "I had a great time yesterday. I think the dancing lessons are a great idea and hopefully before you know it, we'll be the next Fred and Ginger." She gave him a chaste peck on the cheek and moved towards the door.

"You call that a kiss?" he scoffed. "I liked your eggplant kiss better…"

Melanie blushed and turned to look at him. "Robert…you're going to make it really difficult for me at work, you know."

Robert grinned. "Why? You hot for teacher?"

"You're so unfair..."

"Life's unfair, so what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know…" she was feeling uncomfortable for some reason. "This is really confusing for me. At the hospital I feel like your student, and here, I don't. I feel like I'm…but I'm not. I'm still your student."

Robert frowned, sat down on the stairs leading to the second floor, and rubbed his temples with his good hand. "Melanie…This isn't easy for me either," he started, not really knowing what to say. "I'm not good at talking in general. Bantering, arguing, yelling, I excel in, but talking, especially about feelings, I'm pretty terrible at it." He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts and watching as she sat down on the stairs next to him. "What I know is that we're both adults. And there's nothing wrong with what we may be feeling right now. People might say otherwise, but they don't know anything. But I also know that you're my med student. And that complicates things. There are rules…maybe stupid ones, but still rules. And I also know that I am Chief of Staff, so even when your rotations with me end, the rules will still apply…"

"It's not looking so good, is it?" Melanie asked quietly, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. "Maybe we should stop spending so much time together outside of work…"  
"We shouldn't have to…"

"But we will for a while at least. I mean, at least while I'm at the hospital and you're Chief of Staff there. Maybe once I'm done with med school I'll get a job at another hospital."

"That's two years away…"

"Well maybe we could just enjoy being friends."

Robert was quiet for a minute, deciding how much to say to her. "I'm not sure that's what I'm interested in," he finally said, glancing over at her and making sure to look into her eyes. "Is that what _you_ want?"

Melanie looked away from him, and shook her head. "No."

This is such a mess, he thought to himself as he wrapped his arm around Melanie's shoulders. He had a lot of things to decide, about his life and his future. Why did love have to be so complicated?


	9. Apart

Robert and Melanie ended up sitting on the stairs of his foyer for almost an hour, pondering what to do about their predicament. In the end, they decided to try moving her to the night shift in the hopes that spending less time together would slow things down a little. "I need to switch you anyway or else people will accuse me of favoritism," he said philosophically. "That would only hurt _you_ in the end. Everybody has to work nights, some time."

"And we'll still have the dance lessons to look forward to, right?" Melanie asked hopefully.

"Yes, I'll make sure to schedule us for the same days off."

As she left, he'd hugged her and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll figure something out, I promise," he whispered in her ear.

(SCENE)

One of the good things about working nights, Melanie soon learned, was that Tina wasn't there. And except for the fact that she couldn't work with Dr. Romano anymore, she actually liked working the night shift. She'd always been a night owl.

Dr. Kovac was in charge of the night shift, and he had a much more relaxed management style than Dr. Weaver. It was also a much more "hands-on" approach too, as she quickly learned.

After only a few days, in which he'd "accidentally" pushed up against her several times, and had walked past her too closely and grabbed her backside—completely unintentionally of course, he'd asked her out. "Oh, that is so flattering, really, but…I'm sort of seeing somebody," Melanie said with a polite smile.

"Who is he?" Luka asked with a grin. "Does he work here?"

"No…he's a…banker." She wasn't very good at lying, but hoped he'd buy her story.

"Like a sperm bank?" Luka wriggled his eyebrows and cackled.

Melanie wrinkled her nose in disgust. "No, like a money bank. A bank bank…"

Luka laughed and punched her playfully on the shoulder. "I know, I was just making a joke," he said lightly. "Well, let me know if you ever change your mind. I'll buy you a drink." When he walked away, Melanie felt in need of a shower. That man was tactless!

The workload was different on nights too. Generally, it was slower, and the traumas were fewer and farther in between. She felt that it allowed her to learn at a slower pace, which suited her better. She'd never admit it to Robert, but sometimes the traumas went by so fast she wasn't sure at all what she was doing. Because she was currently the only med student working nights, the doctors were able to give her clearer instructions and work more closely with her.

Dr. Chen was also working nights, and seemed to like being around Melanie. "Safety in numbers after all," she'd said lightly one night as they sutured a drunk woman who'd walked through a plate-glass window.

"Kovac plays grab-ass with you too, huh?" Melanie asked quietly.

"He's getting out of control."

"Well, we'll just stick together then."

Jing-Mei was a good teacher, very patient, and calm. Melanie really liked working with her. They had a similar style for learning and looking at things, so it helped her learn a lot from the doctor. She was very different from Dr. Romano, though, and it made Melanie miss him a lot.

(SCENE)

Thursday evening, when Melanie walked into the ER and dropped off her belongings in the lounge, she found a gift box on the table with her name on it. It was wrapped in silver paper and had a green bow on the top. While she was carefully examining it, Jerry stuck his head in the door and sighed with relief. "Thank goodness you're here," he said. "Romano sent that down this afternoon and told me he'd fire me if I didn't make sure you got it. He's been in quite a mood this week. You're lucky you're on nights now or you'd probably be taking the brunt of it…"

Some of the others were finishing their shifts and getting ready to leave for the day. They came into the lounge and demanded she open the present. "We've been trying to guess all afternoon what it is," Abby said.

Susan, Abby, and Malik surrounded her as she started to tear off the paper. By the time she was halfway done, Weaver, Carter, and Chuny had joined them.

Melanie was feeling extremely nervous about opening the present in front of so many people. What in the world could it be and would it humiliate her when so many people saw it? When the wrapping was completely removed, she bit her lip and lifted the lid. What she saw made her sigh and shake her head.

"It's an eggplant…" Susan said, sounding confused.

"Yes…yes it is…" Melanie agreed, nodding her head. It was in fact, three eggplants. One large, bulbous plant with a deep purple color, one long and slender light purple plant, and one small ivory-colored plant shaped like an egg.

"Why would he give you eggplants?" Carter asked.

"And why would he gift-wrap them?" Malik added.

"Who can say? He's a man of great mystery," Melanie said, trying to maintain her composure. Damn you, Robert, she thought to herself.

Weaver was scrutinizing her. "You're sure you have no idea what it means? It just seems so…oddly specific. Like an inside joke or something."

Melanie looked carefully at her before shaking her head. "Nope, I have no clue," she said calmly. "Oh…there was a discussion we had a couple weeks ago. About vegetables that are really fruits. Maybe it's referring to that…" That sounded like a good lie to her.

"Well, I have no idea who's going to win the pool now. Who was closest?" Carter asked, scratching his head.

Chuny took out a piece of paper from her pocket and examined it. "Dr. Corday was closest, I think," she finally declared. "She said it would be 'something bizarre and most likely inappropriate'."

"I'd say that's spot on," Malik replied with a nod.

"I'll make sure she gets the money," Chuny said before leaving the lounge. After another minute, everybody else began to trickle out of the room.

Melanie sighed and sat down, still looking at her present. A closer examination showed that the box was deeper than the eggplants and that the tissue paper surrounding them appeared to be on top of something. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she removed the eggplants and lifted out the tissue paper. Underneath was a large bag of Hershey's Kisses. Eggplant kisses, she thought to herself with a roll of her eyes. She quickly put everything back into the box and stashed it under her belongings before exiting the room and beginning her shift.

(SCENE)

Robert's week had been terrible. Now that Melanie was working nights, he had no need to go to the ER, and since he wasn't able to perform surgeries, he was stuck doing paperwork and going to meetings. When it was only a part of his job, paperwork and meetings had been tolerable, but now, when it was the only thing he did, it was unbearable. Why had he ever taken the Chief of Staff position in the first place?

To help break up the boredom, he yelled at his colleagues, which did pass the time, but it was just a temporary fix. He missed being with Melanie. He found it funny that he'd only known her for a month, but he'd already lived more in that time with her than he'd done in all the years he'd spent pining away for Lizzie.

On Wednesday, Elizabeth stopped by his office to discuss a patient with him, and noticed how subdued he was. "Is everything all right?" she asked gently. "What's happened with Miss Hahn?"

"I had to move her to nights for a while," Robert replied tersely.

"Oh, did something happen?"

Robert frowned and folded his good arm across his chest. "You didn't want to be involved," he said slowly. "Though, one could argue that this is entirely your fault!"

"My fault! How is any of this my fault?"

"_You_ told me to take on a student."

Elizabeth frowned and folded her arms as well. "I didn't tell you to fall in love with her. You did that all on your own," she sniped at him. Robert glared at her, his harshest of glares. After a minute, she quailed and looked at the floor. "That was uncalled for, I apologize," she said quietly. "So, you moved her to nights to give yourself some distance from her?"

Robert took a deep breath, but didn't speak. This discussion was not helping his mood.

Elizabeth sighed and folded her hands in her lap. Irrational though it was, she couldn't help but feel a little responsible for all of this. It _had_ been her idea for him to take on a student, after all. "Maybe it's just an infatuation…That's usually easier to overcome, right?"

"You mean like the way I felt for you? Yes, we both know how easily I overcame that…" Robert was struck by his own words. Had he actually just said that to her? He'd used the past tense when talking about his feelings for Lizzie. He hadn't even thought about it, either, it had just slipped out.

It took him some time to figure out how he felt about Elizabeth now. He'd wasted five years of his life obsessing over her and she'd never given him anything in return. And still he'd waited. She'd broken his heart more times than he could count and he'd done the best he could to pick up the pieces, but he would barely have put his heart back together again before she'd torn it out again. He always kept a mask over his face, though, so she'd never known it. But he was done with that now. There was somebody in his life that cared about him, even though he probably didn't deserve it. And she was sweet and kind and loving. He definitely wasn't worthy of her, but she was there for him in ways that Elizabeth had never been and never would be.

The use of past tense didn't escape Elizabeth either. She blushed at his frankness, and truthfully, a small part of her felt sad to know he wasn't pining away for her anymore. She'd always wondered about the "what might have been", had she said yes when he'd asked her out on a date so long ago. But now, "what might have been" had become "what will never be" and it was sad to feel that transition.

Her thoughts were in the past now, recalling the incredibly hard times she'd had over the years with Robert. After turning down his offer for a date, which had been preceded by plenty of sexual harassment on his part, he had pulled the rug out from under her feet, leaving her with few options to advance her career. He'd stung her more times than she could count, and that was all because she'd rejected him.

How could it be then, that he was bending over backwards to accommodate Melanie? He was taking his frustrations out on everybody else _except_ her. Why? There was only one explanation she could think of: Melanie had done what _she_ hadn't. Melanie had followed his rules and said "yes" when it had mattered the most. She had managed to worm her way into that labyrinthine mind of Robert's and plot out a path to the center of his being. His poisonous stinger was normally poised and ready to strike at any given time, yet he retracted it when she was around. Melanie was safe in Robert's presence, something Elizabeth had never been. It was hard not to feel a slight twinge of jealousy. What would it be like, to have a protective, loving Robert around, as opposed to the dangerous, vengeful Robert she was so used to? Her mind went blank trying to visualize it. It was impossible to imagine. Could he truly be capable of kindness? Love? It seemed as though he was. Just not towards _her_. Apparently she wasn't "the one" after all.

"I just don't see how you can work around this problem," she finally said. "You can't have it all."

Robert was silent for another moment before changing the subject. "My arm isn't improving," he said quietly. "Over the past month, there's been no change."

"It takes time, Robert. You have to be patient…"

He frowned. "For how long? At some point, I have to be realistic about my recovery. I'm not an idealist, I don't have the energy for that. I'll keep trying, but there may be a point where I have to stop and say, 'This is it, this is as good as it's gonna get.' For now I can't operate. But I have the Chief of Staff position. But I can't have Melanie. If I wasn't Chief of Staff, but only a surgeon, I still could have Melanie. But what happens when I'm neither? I'm out of a job and no help to her anymore, but I could have her. As long as she's a med student, even if she's not _my_ med student, she's off limits. I'm just biding my time."

"For what?"

"For me to figure it all out. As you know, relationships aren't my strong suit."

"But with Melanie working nights, you won't have a chance to figure that out."

"Exactly! That would be the dilemma."

"Then switch her back to days like you were doing before and continue to work with her. Just…make sure to keep your hands off each other…"

Robert thought about last weekend, waking up to feel Melanie's arms wrapped around him. Would they be able to pace themselves if he did move her back to days? Could he trust himself around her? He needed to keep her on nights for the next few weeks, no matter what, to keep from being accused of favoritism. He'd have to put up with being apart from her for a while. Saturday couldn't come fast enough, as far as he was concerned.

(SCENE)

The next day, out of sheer boredom, he put together a present for Melanie that he thought was quite amusing. He wondered what she'd think of it and how she would explain it to everybody in the ER. He made sure to deliver it to Jerry, the nosiest of the ER bunch, early in the day so that they'd all wonder what it was. By the time Melanie arrived for her shift, she'd have a flock of curious followers waiting for her to open it.

That night, he called her phone before going to bed in the hopes that she'd be able to answer it. Luckily, she did. "So…how's your week been so far? Miss me?" he asked in greeting. He missed the sound of her voice even though it had only been a few days.

He heard her sigh over the phone. "Dr. Romano, I should be furious with you!" she cried. "Do you know that they had a pool going to see what was in that box? I had to make up a really stupid story and I felt like an idiot! I don't know if Weaver bought it. She was really curious about your motive. You need to look out for her."

"Well that is sweet of you, Miss Hahn, to worry for my well-being. It's touching to know that somebody cares. Weaver's always on the lookout to screw me over. I'm used to it by now."

"I guess I'll have to keep an eye out too."

"Now, now, don't trouble yourself over her," he said, trying to not worry her. Weaver would be an issue, but he'd try to keep it under control himself without involving Melanie. "So, tell me what you've been up to these last few days. Learning all sorts of new procedures I hope."

"I've done five traumas so far. I got to use a crash cart for the first time, and it was really cool. I've helped put in a central line and I got to watch a baby get delivered. And I've learned a lot about banana bags and homeless people. One of them even asked me to marry him. Benny, remember him? Apparently he's a regular," Melanie replied rapidly.

"Oh, he came back did he? And he proposed…how romantic. What did you say?"

"I let him down as gently as possible. I just didn't think it would work out between us. He wouldn't be able to keep me in the high level of comfort that I'm used to in my dormitory. Besides, it would be hypocritical of me to marry him when I already have a boyfriend," she replied coyly.

Robert felt a thrill roll through him after hearing that. "Oh, you do, do you? Anybody I know?"

"He works at a bank, you don't know him...At least that's what I've been telling people when they ask."

He laughed lightly, but then stopped and didn't speak for a minute. "I see…Let me guess, Kovac hit on you…" His voice was cool.

Melanie was silent for a moment. "Uh…I declined his offer," she finally replied quietly.

"Glad to hear it…Anything else of interest happen so far?" Robert would have to look into all the allegations against Kovac and see if any of them had any merit.

"Dr. Chen is teaching me how to swear in Chinese," she replied, "And I've read all the emergency manuals so I'm completely prepared for anything now, should the need arise."

"That's definitely a good use of your spare time…How's your cross-stitch coming along?"

"I'm halfway done with it. I have more time to work on it since I can't play tennis anymore."

"You can play it at my house on the weekends if you life. Maybe on Sundays after breakfast…"

Melanie was silent for a moment before speaking. "Doctor…I don't know if it's appropriate to—" she stopped talking for few seconds before starting again. "I gotta go, there's an MVA coming in and they need my help. I'll talk to you later." With that, she hung up the phone.

Robert closed his phone with a sigh. Had he gone too far by implying that she should continue to sleep over at his house on Saturdays? He had a spare room; she could sleep in it instead of on his couch. Or she could sleep in his room…That would be the ideal scenario of course. But it was far too early in their relationship for any sort of suggestion like that. Even if they were allowed to pursue one another openly in their workplace, he could see that Melanie was somebody who needed to take things slowly. And he wasn't really ready for anything yet, either. Baby steps, that's what they needed.

(SCENE)

Melanie tried to put Robert's phone call out of her mind while she focused on the MVA, but it was difficult. She missed him so much and hearing his voice all of a sudden just reminded her of that. She had a strange feeling of homesickness now, and it was rather distracting. But the task at hand required all her concentration, so she pushed it away, and focused on the patients.

She assisted Dr. Kovac with a compound fractured tibia, which ended up needing surgery. He had her wheel the gurney up to the OR for him so he could stay downstairs with the other patients.

After delivering the patient to the OR, Dr. Edson bounded around the corner and nearly ran into her. "Oh, hey…Cookie Girl…I didn't see you there," he said lightly. "What brings you here all alone at this hour? Romano won't be here till morning."

"Oh, yeah…I was just bringing up a patient from the ER for Dr. Kovac," Melanie replied with a polite smile.

"Anything interesting?"

"A compound fracture of the tibia. Pretty bloody and nasty, I thought."

"That does sound interesting; I'll definitely go check it out. You want to come with me? See an OR while it's in action?" Edson reached out and placed his hand lightly on her arm.

"Oh, that would be fun, but they need me downstairs. There was this big MVA…" Melanie replied, taking a step away from him.

"Well then you should probably get back," Edson said with a smile. "But if you have some time in the next week or so, I'd love to take you out to lunch. You can tell me all about being Rocket's med student…"

"Oh, yeah, maybe," Melanie replied noncommittally. "I'm so busy lately, I never know when I'll have time free anymore. But if I end up with some time to spare, I'll definitely take you up on that lunch."

Edson smiled and nodded his head. "All right, well, enjoy the rest of your shift, Ms. Hahn."

"Thanks, you too, Dr. Edson." Melanie turned and started to walk towards the elevator.

"Oh, hey, call me Dale," Dale called out as she got onto the elevator and pressed the button. "All my friends do."

"All right, goodnight Dale!" The elevator closed on her as she was calling out to him.

The rest of her shift flew past in a blur of injuries and repairs. Melanie was tempted to stop by Dr. Romano's office for a visit before leaving, but was too tired.

(SCENE)

Friday morning, Robert was sitting at his desk, trying his best to pay attention to his paperwork, when his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Doctor…" Melanie's tired voice said in greeting.

Robert smiled. This was the first time she'd ever called him. His paperwork was soon forgotten and he turned in his chair to look out the window. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm just about to go to bed, but I missed you so I wanted to call you first." Melanie's heart was pounding while she talked, but she no longer cared about propriety.

"You miss me…I think that's the first time anybody has ever said that to me." He was glad there was nobody else in the room because he was having trouble keeping a grin off his face.

"Do you miss me?"

"I wouldn't have sent you eggplant kisses yesterday if I didn't."

"What am I going to do with all those eggplants? I don't have a kitchen."

"Bring them with you tomorrow and we'll make something for dinner after the dance lesson."

"All right. And I'm going to bring a movie too. You'll like it; it was made in my hometown. There's a scene in it where you can see my house. I'll point it out for you."

"Sounds like a fun plan to me."

The two continued to talk about nothing of any great importance for a while longer before Melanie remembered what she'd called him about. "Oh! I was gonna tell you…Earlier this morning, I had to go up to the OR and I ran into Dr. Edson. He wants me to tell him all about working with you over lunch some time. And he insisted that I call him Dale. Isn't that funny?" She finished speaking and laughed lightly while she waited for Romano to respond, but he didn't. After a minute, she spoke again. "Doctor? You there?"

"I'm here," Robert replied, frowning to himself. "You aren't going to go with him, are you?"

"I hadn't planned on it," she said quietly. "I mean, wouldn't you agree that I'm already sort of involved with somebody else?"

"Right, your banker boyfriend," Robert said, feeling his doubts begin to dissolve slightly. "What's his name? I need to know in case anybody asks me about him."

"Oh, let's see…Let's go with…Paul. Paul Wilson."

Robert thought about that for a minute. "Paul, I like that name. It's a good, strong name. If I ever have a son, I'll name him Paul."

"Good to know, Doctor," Melanie said with a laugh. "I'm glad you approve." She yawned loudly. "I should probably get to sleep now," she murmured.

"Sleep tight," Robert said quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and my offer to play tennis on Sunday still stands if you want to. I have a spare room you're more than welcome to stay in; it's no trouble at all. I'd rather you stay over than drive home. It's not safe on the roads that time of night, you know…"

Melanie sighed and shook her head. "I'll think about it," she replied. "It's sweet of you to care about my safety. I just don't want to get into trouble, you know?"

"We won't get into trouble, I promise."

"Famous last words…"

"Everything will be fine, I promise. Now, go to sleep!"

"All right. See you tomorrow."

Robert closed his phone and continued to look out his window. What was happening with his life? Here he was, his brilliant career nearly in ruins, and all he could really care about was whether or not Edson was trying to hit on Melanie and whether or not he could get her to stay over at his house overnight. He'd been starved of love for so long that it felt like he was now gorging himself on it. Hopefully he wouldn't make himself sick.

He hated having Melanie work a different shift than him. Edson could make any move he wanted to, unchecked. Robert trusted Melanie; it was men like Edson and Kovac he didn't trust.

For the first time since having taken Melanie on as his student, he had a doubtful feeling about her becoming a surgeon. Surgery was an old-boys club. It had always been and he didn't see it changing any time soon. And most of the old boys were completely depraved. He knew that for a fact, because he'd led the pack for years in that department. Did he really want her to be subjected to such behavior? It was one thing for Lizzie to work around them. She'd been raised around it and gave as good as she got. Plus, she had a stronger personality to handle it. But Melanie was much more delicate and naïve. She took things seriously when he was joking and he'd never put her through the same level of torment that he'd put Lizzie through. If he wasn't careful during her OR rotation, they would eat Melanie alive.

Surgery wasn't the quiet, gentle afternoons in the suture room that she was accustomed to. It was brash and bloody, and made the testosterone pound in your veins. He wasn't sure he wanted her in a room full of men in that state.

And the ER was definitely not the right place for her either. That place was a death trap. Crazy, knife-wielding maniacs, monkey pox, gang turf wars…Those were just a few of the more insane examples he could think of that the ER had dealt with over the years. Just the thought made him nervous that she was now working there without him. It's why he liked to keep her locked in the suture room as much as possible.

Maybe Pediatrics was a better place for her. It was a nice and safe department. Or maybe she could work in a doctor's office somewhere where there were no drug-seekers or gang bangers. Somewhere where he wouldn't have to spend his days worrying about her. Like an ivory tower perhaps.

He sighed and stood up from his chair. Caring about somebody else so much was going to make what little hair he had turn grey. Since when had he cared about all this relationship drama and why was it now threatening all the good sense he had? He'd always detested the soap operas he'd seen unfold around this hospital, and seeing what it did to a person's life. He'd seen plenty of colleagues fall into the love-trap and had vowed to make sure it never happened to him. Even when he'd pined away for Elizabeth, he'd never envisioned a true relationship with her. They seemed to require so much effort. It was what made his one-night-stands and superficial relationships in the past seem preferable in comparison. Relationships like those required nothing from him, really. He could get what he needed from them and move on, no questions asked.

Things felt different now, though. He was enjoying the effort it took to get to know Melanie, and wanted to continue getting to know her. It wasn't a painful effort— rather enjoyable, really. But it was a change, and he didn't like change. Even when it was a good one, it was still something that upset his routine. Caring about others was definitely not a regular part of his life.

Melanie was making him care. He was changing his plans for her career based on how he felt about her. Did he want to leave the hospital with a brilliant surgical replacement? Or did he want her to be safe and unmolested by her colleagues? Did it matter what kind of doctor she was as long as she did her best? And what if she didn't want to be a surgeon? That was highly unlikely, though, as surgery was the best specialization in all of medicine. But maybe she wouldn't want it. Was he supposed to just let her choose for herself? She was just a med student, how could she possibly know what would be the best field for her? He was a seasoned doctor, surely _he_ knew best.

Was this how it started? Giving up his dreams for hers? Making sure Melanie had everything she wanted in life? Caving in to all her whims and fancies? He had never wanted to be "that guy". The guy who asked permission from his girlfriend or wife before doing something he wanted to do. The guy who held a woman's purse while she tried on clothes. Purse Boy. Whipped. He felt like he was fast on his way to becoming Melanie's Purse Boy.

Suddenly, the recollection of her sleeping with her arms around him, now felt cloying and smothering. She was going to be the death of him one day, no doubt. With a slow shake of his head, he started for the door. But, he thought to himself, as a smile crept onto his face in spite of his best effort not to, what a way to go…

(SCENE)

Later in the afternoon, Robert went down to the ER for a surgical consult because there was nobody else to spare at the time. He didn't mind, as it gave him something fulfilling to do for a while.

Kerry Weaver was standing over the patient when he arrived. She frowned in greeting. "Here to bring eggplants to somebody else?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nope, I ran out after yesterday," Robert replied, nonplussed. "I have some tomatoes at my desk though. I'd be happy to bring them down and throw them at your people."

"Maybe later," she replied. "Right now, I've got a rule-out appy for you to check out." She rattled off all the information he needed to know as he started to examine the young woman.

"Does this hurt?" he asked while pressing into the right side of her abdomen. The woman, who was probably Melanie's age, shrieked and nodded her head. He stopped prodding her and looked over her chart for a minute. "It's definitely a hot appy," he said finally while standing up and setting the chart down. "Let's get her a gurney and I'll take her upstairs." He turned to look at the woman and smiled kindly at her. She had the same color eyes as Melanie too, though these eyes were full of terror at the moment. "Don't worry, Miss, we're going to take good care of you," he said reassuringly.

Kerry frowned at his words and left to find a gurney. Since when had Robert ever shown good bedside manner to any patient? Something was definitely going on with him, and she was determined to find out what it was.

(SCENE)

By the end of his shift, Robert was exhausted and ready to leave. As he was locking up his office, he saw Edson walking down the hallway, getting ready to start his shift. He called out to Dale and walked rapidly over to him.

"Good evening, Dr. Romano," Edson said in greeting. "How are things going?"

"Great," Robert replied. "And you? Anything interesting happen lately? Too bad you're stuck on nights right now; it must be a snooze fest."

"Actually, I had a chat with your med student just last night," Edson said with a grin. "What's her name again?"

"Miss Hahn," Robert supplied coolly.

"Right, that's it," Edson said, feeling disappointed at once again not learning her first name. "She is a sweet little thing, isn't she? Do you know if she's dating anybody?"

Robert was silent for a moment, trying to compose himself. "I believe she is," he quipped. "She's mentioned somebody in the past. Paul Something-or-other. I think he works at a bank or some other equally dull place."

Edson frowned. "Damn," he murmured. "Oh well…It was worth a shot. All the pretty ones are taken."

"Aren't they?" Robert said sympathetically, trying not to show the swell of pride and triumph he was feeling. "That's a real shame…"

Edson shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Robert grinned and left the building that evening with what could only possibly be described as swagger.

A/N: This chapter gave me a lot of problems while writing it, but I'm pretty happy with how it finally turned out. What it showed me, though, is that Robert and Melanie really don't like being separated, because they both fought me the entire time!


	10. Busted

Melanie's last shift of the week was filled with drunk people of all shapes and sizes. Grown men, women, teenagers, it didn't matter. Apparently drinking was the activity of choice for a Friday night in this part of downtown Chicago.

An hour into her shift, and she'd been thrown up on twice, groped once, had her hair pulled, and was asked out by a surly teenage boy who didn't want to take "no" for an answer. He grabbed her by the wrists and started to pull her towards him and it took both Luka and a security guard to wrestle him away from her. It turned out he was drunk and on steroids, which explained why he was left handcuffed to his gurney to sober up.

Melanie had dark bruises on her wrists by the end of her shift and they were quite sore. She was more than a little shaken up as well. As frightening as it was, though, this was considered a normal Friday night shift, and nobody else seemed phased by it. Luka had been kicked in the groin by a drunken woman and was currently lying down in the supply closet, trying to sleep off the pain. Jing-Mei had been subjected to a feces-throwing patient, and had required a shower and complete change of clothes halfway through the shift.

"I swear it's like working in the ape house at the zoo sometimes!" she'd cried while storming off to get cleaned up.

When the shift ended, Melanie and Jing-Mei went to Doc Magoo's for breakfast and to commiserate together. Luka was still passed out, or they'd have invited him along too. "Do you have plans for today?" Jing-Mei asked casually while sipping her orange juice.

Melanie froze for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "I was going to do some studying," she finally replied. "Boring, but necessary. How about you?"

"Greg and I might go to a club tonight, do some dancing. It should be fun," Jing-Mei replied with a smile. "I need it after last night!"

When breakfast was over, they parted ways, and Melanie returned to her dormitory to sleep. Laura was nice and did most of her studying out of their room so Melanie could sleep uninterrupted. By three in the afternoon, she woke up and got ready for her evening with Robert.

This time, she chose a dark green skirt that ended a few inches above her knees, and a black halter top. It got pretty warm while dancing, so sleeveless was a good choice even in October.

When it came to decide whether or not to pack for an overnight stay, though, she faltered. What should she do? Did it mean anything if she stayed in his guest room? Was it crossing a line? What if somebody found out? It could be awkward, because when they were working opposite shifts like they currently were, they were like two ships passing in the night. He'd sleep tonight and she'd be up till morning. And when he got up, she'd go to bed for the day, and then be up in the evening in time to hang out with him for a while. In the end, she packed clean clothes, nightclothes, some toiletries and a few creature comforts in a duffle bag. Just in case.

(SCENE)

Robert answered the door when he heard the knock, and smiled when he saw Melanie's pretty face grinning at him. She set her bag on the floor, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a hug. "I've missed you!" she exclaimed before kissing his cheek.

Robert wrapped his arm around her waist and held her tightly. "I've missed you too," he growled in her ear. After a few seconds, he pulled away and looked very carefully at her. "Look at you," he murmured in approval. "Nice legs…" He smiled as she blushed. He liked her skirt, it suited her well. It was short enough to be considered very enticing, but long enough that it didn't reveal too much. What some women wore these days was scandalous, in his opinion. A man liked the challenge of the pursuit. The hunt. He didn't want his catch to just present itself to him without any effort. Melanie, he thought, was going to be fun to hunt. Hell, she already was.

As he was taking in the halter top she was wearing and contemplating the fact that it meant she wasn't wearing a bra, his eyes glanced down to her wrists. They looked like she was wearing black wrist bands, but a closer look showed that they were, in fact, bruises. He frowned and pointed at her wrist. "What happened to you?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Melanie looked down at her wrists and frowned as well. "Friday night at the ER happened to them," she said. When he looked confused, she filled him in on what had happened. He was fuming by the time she was done. "But we all had stuff happen to us," she said quickly. "I guess it's just a Friday night thing. I suppose I should have expected it eventually, working in the ER. It's a pretty dangerous place."

"Damn right it's a dangerous place," he spat. "I'm going to move you off Fridays. You can work Sundays, I'm sure it's a much slower night." Robert's worst fears were starting to come true. Melanie was in danger at the hospital and he hadn't been around to help her when she'd needed him most. "The sooner you finish your ER rotation, the better. I cannot wait to take you up to the OR. I can assure you things like that don't happen there."

It took a few more minutes and a couple of hugs from Melanie to calm him down again. When he'd stopped pacing in the foyer, he finally noticed her overnight bag for the first time. Had she changed her mind? He'd had his cleaning service prepare the room earlier in the week just in case. It had been in severe need of a good dusting and airing out. With the exception of his mother, who occasionally spent the holidays with him, nobody had ever utilized that room. Hopefully that would be rectified tonight.

Robert walked over to her and took the bag out of her hand. "Do you want me take this up to your room?" he asked quietly. When he saw a look of panic pass over her face, he smiled reassuringly, and set the bag down on a table by the staircase. "How about I just leave it here…"

"The eggplants are in there too," Melanie said as he walked back over to her. "And so is the movie."

"I think we should stop by the store on our way back and get some more ingredients for dinner. And dessert. I am definitely going to need dessert tonight." He wrapped his hand around hers, being careful not to touch her bruises, and led her through the house into the garage.

Robert turned on a light and walked over to his green jaguar. "Melanie, I'd like you to meet the other love of my life, Sarah. I'm going to let you drive her, but you have to promise to treat her like your child," he said slowly, taking the keys out of his pants pocket and holding them out to her.

"Sarah…Who was Sarah?" Melanie asked with a jealous glint in her eye as she grabbed the keys and started walking towards the driver's side.

"Sarah MacKenzie, from that TV show JAG. Ever watch it?" Robert said as he sat down in the passenger's seat and buckled up. "I figured I should name my jag after a JAG…and she's pretty gorgeous too, so…" he shrugged his shoulders.

Melanie grinned and laughed as she hit the button on the garage opener, then started up the car. "Makes total sense to me. If I ever have a jag some day, I'll name it Harm…" she replied. Robert laughed as they drove out of the garage and off to the dance lesson.

(SCENE)

The lesson was slightly more successful than the previous one. They had less bruises on their knees, and Melanie wasn't looking over her shoulder as much as before. At one point in time when she was turned, Robert yanked her back around and looked intensely into her eyes. "Look at my eyes," he demanded, "and do _not_ look away!" She obeyed and found that their dancing improved immensely. It wasn't difficult to look into his eyes, as they were very hypnotic and authoritative. Sometimes it felt like he was looking directly into her soul.

Robert was in his element while he commanded Melanie and she obeyed him. They moved as a well-oiled machine when they were gazing into one another's eyes. Hers were soft and trusting and while looking into them, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly as they danced. He managed not to though, and their dance instructor praised their improvement. "Try to practice throughout the week too, if you can," she advised as they left for the night.

After the lesson, Melanie drove them to the grocery store. "All right, where to first?" she asked after picking out a shopping cart.

"Dessert," Robert demanded. "I'm thinking chocolate cake. You want to pick out some ice cream to go with it?"

The two split up to find their items. The frozen aisle was quite obviously cold, and Melanie wished she'd brought a jacket with her into the store. There were so many different varieties of ice cream to choose from. What kind did she want? After an extensive search, she settled on a pint of chocolate peanut butter that was her idea of decadent. She hoped Robert would agree.

Ice cream in hand, she then made her way to the candy aisle and picked out two Baby Ruth bars for them to eat during the movie. Her phone rang just as she was walking to the chip aisle. "Where are you?" Robert asked.

"Chip aisle. Where are you?"

"Produce aisle. Can you get some microwave popcorn, and then come meet me here? I don't know what stuff to get."

Melanie's arms were overflowing with food by the time she met up with Robert and the cart in the produce aisle. She dumped her food into the cart, around the cake he'd picked out from the bakery.

"I was thinking curry, but I'm not sure what else goes with eggplant," Robert said, looking at the bounty of vegetables.

"Potatoes maybe? Oh, and chickpeas. And carrots and onions maybe?"

"Sounds good to me."

They set out gathering their items. Melanie had never seen so many different kinds of potatoes before. She picked out three large purple potatoes, set them in a plastic bag, and hurried back over to where Robert was standing. "Robert! They have purple potatoes! I didn't even know there was such a thing!" she cried excitedly while putting them in the cart. When he didn't move or respond, she frowned and noticed that he looked startled by something. She looked over to see what it was and after a second, she gasped.

Susan Lewis was standing just a few feet from them, and her jaw was dropped nearly to the floor. "Melanie, you look gorgeous! Oh my God! What are you two doing here? Together?" She walked over to them and looked carefully at Melanie's clothes. "What a cute top!"

"Uh…" Melanie stammered, her mouth dry and useless.

Susan looked carefully at her and Robert, her eyes narrowing. "So, what _are_ you two doing here? Together. And don't bother making up some lie, because you two are totally busted." Her voice wasn't threatening, but sounded excited over having made a great discovery. "Are you two together together?"

Robert was hoping that a bolt of lightning would strike him dead or that the ground would open up and swallow him, but neither event occurred. He could see the terror on Melanie's face and knew that he'd have to be the one to respond. Fortunately for them, Lewis was rather harmless, in terms of what she might demand from them for her silence. He'd always gotten along rather well with her, and knew that she could be trusted with their secret. He cleared his throat and put his hand on Melanie's arm, squeezing it encouragingly.

"Susan," he said carefully, "I hope that Miss Hahn and I can count on you to keep this to yourself. Miss Hahn's career hasn't even had a chance to begin, and I would hate for it to end over something like this." His heart was pounding, but his voice didn't betray him. He felt Melanie's hand move on top of his and wrap her fingers though his.

Susan looked carefully at them and smiled. "I should have known," she said quietly. "You gave her a mint that day she had an upset stomach…Robert, you are such a romantic!" She looked at them, standing next to one another, holding onto each other as though they were about to blow away in a strong wind. They were an adorable couple. She'd never really looked at Robert that closely, but now that she had, she could see what a handsome man he was. Sometimes it was hard to see through all his anger and yelling. And Melanie was a sweet girl. They complemented each other well.

"Of course, your secret is safe with me," she finally replied with a smile. "Don't worry, I promise to keep quiet."

Melanie smiled shyly. "Thank you," she said quietly before letting go of Robert's hand and walking over to Susan. She gave the older woman a grateful hug.

"Well, you two just pretend you never saw me tonight," Susan finally said a minute later. She picked up an orange and put it in her basket. "You enjoy your evening…" With a wink, she turned and walked away, leaving them alone again.

Melanie sighed and looked at Robert. "That was so scary," she whispered.

Robert didn't speak for a minute. His heart was still pounding, but started to calm down again. He'd hoped that outside the hospital there wouldn't be a chance they'd be seen by anybody they worked with, but apparently they were going to have to continue using the utmost discretion, no matter where they were…

He looked at Melanie and could see that she was nearly in tears. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said gruffly before wrapping his hand around her forearm and pulling her gently in the direction of the checkout stands.

They managed to make it back to his house and were in the garage picking up the bags of groceries before Melanie finally burst into tears. Normally, Robert would have rolled his eyes or sneered at her weakness, but this time she was only doing what both of them were feeling. He set down his bag and walked over to her. "It's all right now," he said comfortingly while wrapping his arm around her. Melanie clung to him desperately and sobbed into his shoulder.

Robert loved how much she looked to him for comfort and protection. It was still such a new sensation to him. He held onto her for a few minutes until she calmed down again. He felt slightly disappointed when she unwrapped herself from him and returned to the groceries. "The ice cream is probably melted by now," she said quietly in between sniffles.

Once in the kitchen, they unpacked the bags and stood around looking at it all, wondering where to start. Melanie picked up the ice cream and brought it to the freezer. Robert moved all the junk food to one side of the kitchen table, and all the dinner ingredients to the other side. He stood next to his cake and peered over at the large pile of produce, then sighed. "This is going to take a lot of chopping," he said mournfully. "You want to order a pizza instead?"

Melanie laughed and walked over to him. "We can't let all the food go to waste…How about I chop and you cook?"

Robert shrugged his shoulders. "All right," he grumbled. It did take a while, but eventually the vegetables were cleaned, chopped, and ready to be cooked. "Have you ever made curry before?" he asked while setting a pan on the stove and turning on the heat.

"Nope, I'm not that skilled at cooking," Melanie confessed. "I can do the basics, and that's about it." The two debated the best way to cook the food for several minutes before settling on a game plan.

"It's going to take a while," Robert said while pouring water into a saucepan. "Why don't you go upstairs and take a shower? We got pretty sweaty tonight. The spare room has a bathroom you can use."

"I suppose a nice hot shower would be relaxing after the store fiasco," Melanie confessed.

Robert smiled to himself. "It's the third door on the right," he said, still turned away from her. "There are fresh towels and soap and all sorts of girl stuff you might want in there."

"Thanks," Melanie said before leaving the room and picking up her bag from the table by the stairs. Her heart was pounding as she walked up the stairs to the spare room. Nothing was going to happen between them tonight, but she still felt as though something was changing with their relationship now. Like they were reaching a point of no return. She tried not to think about it, though, while stepping into the dark spare room, and over to the bathroom.

Her heart pounded even more as she prepared for her shower. Robert hadn't lied about all the "girl stuff". There were razors and bath salts, a shower cap, shaving gel, and a loufah among the many items on the counter. It was as if he hadn't known what to get, and had purchased one of each just in case. She smiled at his thoughtfulness.

(SCENE)

Robert was busy cooking dinner and trying to keep his mind off the fact that Melanie was currently naked and soapy upstairs and he wasn't there to witness it. It was harder to cook with one hand than he had anticipated, and he really hoped the food tasted good.

He was just tasting it for seasoning when Melanie walked back into the kitchen. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail to keep from getting her wet. She was wearing light pink pants, made of some type of fuzzy material he couldn't identify, and a darker pink tank top with spaghetti straps. The top had blue hearts on it, and was quite form-fitting, much to his viewing pleasure. It was very difficult not to stare like an idiot as she joined him at the stove. "Hot…" he finally uttered.

"What?"

"Uh…How hot do you like your food? I like a bit of spice, personally," he said, recovering quickly from his blunder.

"Let me taste it," she demanded. He held the fork out and she tried a potato. "That's just right for me," she declared.

Robert spooned a large portion into a bowl for her and proceeded to dump lots of chili flakes into the rest. "Spice wuss," he growled playfully.

"I am not a spice wuss!" Melanie cried. "You're crazy if you're going to eat it _that_ hot!"

"Watch me!" The playful bantering continued until Robert dished himself up and they sat down at the kitchen table.

After three bites of his dinner, his mouth was burning, his face turned bright red, and he broke out into a sweat. Melanie looked at him with concern. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"Hot!" Robert gasped, looking around for a glass of water and finding none.

"So, it's a little too hot for you, huh?" she said lightly with a grin. When he glared at her, she got up, walked over to his fridge and looked around for milk or something with dairy in it. The only thing she found was a small carton of plain yogurt. She handed it to him, along with a spoon. "Try a little," she commanded. "Maybe mix it in your food, it might help."

"Thanks," Robert gasped, putting the yogurt on the table and wrapping her hand in his. He yanked on her hand, which caused her to stumble backwards and fall onto his lap. She looked surprised and he took the opportunity to press his lips to hers, mirroring what she'd done to him just a week ago.

Melanie squealed and pushed away from him before jumping up and grabbing a spoonful of yogurt. "Spicy!" she cried.

Robert laughed and slapped the table with his hand a couple times. She held out a spoonful of yogurt to him, and he readily accepted it. The burning in his mouth soon subsided.

She sat back down to her dinner. "Do you want some of mine? Yours is way too hot, admit it," she said challengingly.

"Mine is delicious," Robert said loftily, though he didn't take another bite.

"But mine is better," she replied, pushing her bowl towards him and moving her chair next to his. "Come on, there's plenty for both of us…"

Robert sighed, pushed his bowl away, and started to eat out of hers. They ate in silence for a couple minutes before something dawned on Melanie. "You kissed me!"

"You liked it," Robert replied with a shrug.

"It was pretty _hot_," she said wickedly.

Robert grinned, leaned into her, and pressed his lips to hers once again. His entire body felt like it was on fire and he could hear the blood pounding in his ears. "And that one?" he asked when he pulled away a couple seconds later.

Melanie brought her hand up to her mouth and flushed crimson. She seemed unable to speak and he could tell that they'd reached the limit of her comfort level for now. He didn't make another attempt to kiss her, but quietly returned to his meal. After a minute, she rejoined him. They finished eating in silence.

(SCENE)

They moved all the junk food out to the living room when dinner was finished. Melanie gave Robert the DVD and he set up the TV for them. Gretel walked into the room as they settled onto the couch.

The dog circled the couch a few times while Robert and Melanie sat next to each other. After a few minutes, she wandered over to Robert and stuck her head on his knee. He petted her head absentmindedly as the movie began. After a while, Gretel moved down the couch and stood firmly against Melanie's legs. She put all her weight into it and leaned as hard against the woman as she could. Melanie sighed and scooted down the couch away from Robert. Gretel hopped up onto the couch and settled in where Melanie had been, placing her head on Robert's lap.

Robert looked down and frowned. "Gretel! The couch is for people, not dogs," he reprimanded. "Get down." The dog refused to budge.

"I think she hates me," Melanie said from the other end of the couch.

"She'd better learn to like you," Robert growled while reaching down to push the dog off the couch. "Sit at my feet!" he commanded. Gretel finally slid off the couch and settled down at her master's feet. He bent down and petted her head a few times as Melanie moved down next to him again. Things went smoothly after that, and the two settled in to enjoy the movie.

Melanie had described the movie as "Stand by Me meets Indiana Jones," and Robert felt that was an appropriate description for The Goonies. He'd never seen it before, and thought it was quite amusing. Melanie gave him a Baby Ruth bar when the candy appeared on screen, and paused the movie to point out her house when it was on. "So that's where you come from," he said with a smile. "I've never known anybody whose house was in a movie. I suppose this makes you a Goonie, huh?"

Melanie grinned and nodded her head. "I've always thought of myself as one," she replied before starting the movie again and sitting down next to him. Halfway through the movie, she began to get cold. She grabbed Robert's arm, and lifted it over her shoulders, then snuggled as close to him as she could get. "It's chilly in here," she explained when he looked curiously at her.

Robert smiled and held her close. He was glad now that he'd turned the heat down after dinner. It was worth it to be freezing when it paid off like this. "Your arms are freezing," he said, rubbing her arm with his hand. Feeling a little bad for her, he pointed out a blanket on a chair nearby and had her bring it over to them. Soon, they were settled in under the blanket together, and instead of rubbing her arm, he moved his hand down and entwined his fingers through hers. They watched the rest of the movie like this.

(SCENE)

It was awkward when Robert went to bed, giving Melanie a peck on the cheek and leaving her downstairs with Gretel. They were watching TV and Melanie was working on her cross stitch. Such was life for two people working opposite shifts. When she wasn't watching, he turned the heat back up for her before walking upstairs to his bedroom.

That night, he had an extremely explicit dream about Melanie. Apparently, hand holding and snuggling was enough of an aphrodisiac to cause such dreams. The next morning, he woke up to a most unpleasant surprise that he discovered while trying to get out of bed.

"Damn it!" he hissed as he pulled back the sheets. I must have been seventeen the last time this happened, he thought to himself in disgust. He was really glad that Melanie wasn't in the room with him, or throwing himself out the window would have been the only option available to him.

He stripped all the sheets off his bed and left them, along with his pajamas, on the floor. He'd wash them after Melanie left. It took a very long, very hot shower to calm down again. He hated when his body betrayed him. He liked to have control over the things in his life, and his body was the one thing that was truly his own. He felt he should have perfect control over it at all times. Now, not only was one arm non-functioning, but other parts were deciding to work overtime without his permission. He did his best not to think about Melanie while he was in the shower, but it was very hard not to.

(SCENE)

Melanie found it strange too, to be awake at Robert's house while he was upstairs asleep. Gretel behaved herself, thankfully. Apparently she only acted up when she had a bigger audience. While the dog slept at her feet, she watched TV and worked on her cross stitch. She was down to the last eight letters and was quite proud with the results so far.

Robert was just leaving his bedroom when she trudged upstairs to hers. They met in the hall and talked for a few minutes. "So, if I'm moving to Sundays, does that mean I should go in tonight?" she asked at one point in time.

"You probably should," he replied with a sigh. He'd been looking forward to spending time with her that evening, but it was more important to him that she stay safe at work. Just as he had before going to sleep, he kissed her on the cheek before she went into the spare room.

Melanie turned on the light and looked around for the first time. It was a nice room, spacious, and had feminine touches that were absent in the rest of the house. There were drawings of flowers and ferns on the pale blue walls, and a cream-colored carpet on the floor. She walked over to one of the two sets of windows and looked outside. She could see a view of the backyard before drawing the white, ruffled curtains closed. Along one wall was a mahogany writing-table and matching chair. On the table was a vase of fresh white and orange dahlias.

Centered between the two windows, was a lavish, queen-sized sleigh bed. Blue French toile sheets and a thick matching comforter covered the bed, making the entire room look rich and stylish. Melanie ran her hands over the bedding and smiled at how soft it was. After getting ready for bed, she crawled into the soft sheets and settled right into the center. It was the largest bed she'd ever been in, and she felt like a princess on a pedestal. Everything was so soft that it didn't take more than a couple minutes for her to fall asleep.

(SCENE)

Later in the afternoon, Robert realized that there was no alarm clock in the spare room, and Melanie probably wouldn't wake up on her own. He'd have to wake her himself. He walked up to her room and hoped he didn't startle her.

It felt strange being in the spare room with Melanie. It was a room he rarely entered, having no real need to. Looking around at the soft colors, he felt a little uncomfortable surrounded by such femininity. It felt like he was stepping into a world he knew nothing about. But when he saw Melanie, sleeping in the bed, he ignored that feeling and walked over to her. He looked down and watched her for a minute. She looked beautiful and perfectly at ease. He'd picked out the sheets himself a few days ago, and had given them to his cleaning service to put on the bed. He didn't know much about style or interior decorating, but he'd listened to Melanie enough over their time together to pick up on what she liked. He hoped she approved, because she looked good in them. It took a lot of willpower not to slip right into the bed and fall asleep next to her. Instead, he reached down and placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently.

Melanie felt like she'd just fallen asleep, but the next thing she knew, somebody was shaking her shoulder and calling out to her. "Melanie, you have to get ready for work now," Robert said, sitting on the bed and looking down at her. It took a few attempts to wake her up fully and he watched with amusement as she sat up in the bed and looked around, clearly quite disoriented. "You're at my house, remember?" he said gently.

She blinked a few times, trying to wake up, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I don't wanna go," she murmured.

"I don't want you to go either, but you have to," Robert said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her against him. "Only a few more weeks of this and I'll move you back to days."

"I don't wanna go," she repeated in a pouty voice, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest.

"If you don't get up, I'll just have to test out how ticklish you are," Robert threatened lightly. To demonstrate, he brought his hand up to her side and tickled her ribs.

Melanie screeched and flailed away from him. "All right, I'm up!" she cried, jumping out of the bed.

Robert laughed and slid off the bed. "Good to know that you're ticklish," he said as he walked to the door. "I'll let you get ready and when you get downstairs, you can have breakfast."

Melanie got ready for her shift, feeling sorry for herself the entire time. She ate the peanut butter and jelly sandwich Robert made for her while feeling sorry for herself. And she drove away from his house, still feeling sorry for herself.

Her self-pitying didn't end when she got to the hospital, because the first person to greet her was Susan Lewis. "We have to talk," she said while grabbing Melanie's arm and dragging her into the empty suture room. "Spill it, you have to tell me what the eggplant was all about!"

Melanie blushed and explained the eggplant kiss to her. Susan grinned and shook her head. "That is so romantic!" she said. "And…the bruises on your wrists. Did he do that to you?"

"He doesn't beat me!" Melanie gasped.

"No…I thought maybe he tied you up or something. You know, in the heat of the moment…?" Susan wriggled her eyebrows devilishly.

Melanie's eyes grew wide and she shook her head. "We aren't having sex!" she declared. "I haven't known him long enough to sleep with him."

"Oh…well, maybe someday," Susan replied with a shrug.

Melanie bit her lip and thought for a moment. "How long is it proper to wait, do you think?" she asked quietly.

"There's no timeline, really. Every couple is different. As long as both of you are comfortable, that's what's important."

"He kissed me last night and we held hands," Melanie admitted quietly. It was nice having somebody to talk to about this. Susan felt like an older, wiser sister that she could go to with her problems.

Susan smiled at the thought of Robert Romano holding hands and making all the small gestures that a man makes towards the woman he loves. He'd always treated _her_ a little more nicely than he treated everybody else at the hospital. She wasn't sure why, but she'd never questioned it. She just enjoyed it. It wasn't difficult to imagine him acting romantically towards Melanie. The look on his face the previous night when she'd run into him had spoken volumes. He probably hadn't even been aware of it, but the care and love he felt for Melanie showed clearly on his face. It was no wonder he'd been acting even harsher at work than normal when he had to be away from her.

"I'm glad you two are enjoying your time together," she finally replied with a warm smile. "I know there are rules about this sort of thing, but I don't know, I think it's stupid when it's real. If it was just sex or harassment, I can understand discouraging it. But true love can't be thwarted." Susan was a sucker for a "happily ever after" story, and thought that Romano was in need of one.

Melanie smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you," she replied. "Oh, and if you ever need to say anything or ask me anything…I'm seeing a guy named Paul. He works at a bank…"

"I will make sure to ask after Paul from time to time," Susan said pointedly, turning to leave. "In the meantime, you have fun with Robert…"

Melanie sighed and left the suture room to go find a patient to help. Only a few weeks left of nights before she and Robert could go back to working together. In the middle of feeling sorry for herself again, a trauma rolled in, and she was off, helping people. If things kept going like this, the time would pass before she knew it. She couldn't wait.


	11. Together

The next few weeks flew past for Melanie in a blur of traumas, dance lessons, and continuing to get to know Robert better. The worry she once had for staying over at his house on her days off soon dissipated, and spending the night on the weekend was now a given. Their dancing improved with each passing week. Lessons led to evenings together spent doing nothing of any real importance, though neither of them would miss it for the world. Melanie enjoyed the hand-holding and gentle kisses that interspersed their time together. Robert never tried to push her to do more than she was ready for, but just enjoyed the ride.

Robert's time passed more slowly, as he had less to do, and he felt himself missing Melanie constantly whenever he wasn't with her. He had the strangest sensation of homesickness when she wasn't around, and he couldn't explain it.

To help make the time more pleasant, Robert instituted "Waffle Wednesday," in which he came into work early and met up with Melanie, who was just getting off her shift. They ate breakfast in the cafeteria and stayed caught up with one another's lives. He loved to hear about all the procedures she was getting to do. She would be a most capable student when she returned to days, and he hoped she'd dazzle everybody who saw her in action.

Finally, a week before Halloween, Robert moved Melanie back to days and working with him again. They were both excited and nervous about it. Excited to see one another again on a daily, more constant basis, yet nervous that they'd have trouble maintaining a level of professionalism now that their relationship had evolved so much farther than it had been a month ago. Melanie was also anxious to show him what she'd learned over the weeks away from him. Her job was to make him look good, and she hoped she could do that.

On Tuesday, Melanie drove to work before the sun was up. Robert had graciously given her Monday off to switch over from the night shift to the day shift. "I don't need you falling asleep in the middle of a trauma," he had said.

"Oh, I see you came back. I thought maybe you'd dropped out of school," Tina Smith said in greeting as Melanie poured herself a cup of coffee in the lounge.

"No such luck," Melanie replied with a cold smile. "I was on nights. It was actually quite nice. No _annoying_ people around to bother me…"

"Well then, it sounds like it's too bad you're back on days," Tina said coolly. "Nobody here really even noticed you were gone."

Melanie opened her mouth to respond, but Dr. Weaver walked into the lounge and interrupted the reunion. "Welcome back to days, Ms. Hahn," she said with a smile. "We missed you."

"Thanks, Dr. Weaver," Melanie said before walking towards the door. She knew Dr. Romano was in his office and planned on keeping the schedule she usually did—working alone in the early morning, then bringing him coffee around ten.

The day was going smoothly, if a bit slowly. There hadn't been any traumas, but she'd been able to see six patients. The most interesting case had been a young boy who'd fallen against a cactus plant at his house, and had required an hour of plucking needles from his hands and arms. She'd wrapped his limbs in gauze when she'd finished so he wouldn't irritate the skin when he brushed against things. She sent him and his mother on their way with instructions on how to clean and change his dressings as well as a script for a salve.

She was in the middle of removing glass from a patient's foot, when somebody startled her from behind. "Miss Hahn! Where's my coffee? I've been waiting almost a half hour for you," a haughty voice called out from across the room.

Melanie jumped in her seat and gasped, but continued with her work. Robert could bellow all he wanted, but she had a job to do. A minute later, he walked over to her and stood at her side while she irrigated the wound. "Miss Hahn, did you not hear me?" he asked quietly.

"I did, but I'm busy," she replied curtly. "I will get you coffee when I'm done. Or…You could always get it yourself."

"It tastes better when you make it," he said. "I'll wait."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "You drink it black; all I do is pour it into a cup."

"It must be the _way_ you pour it then. I could never do it like you."

Melanie finished irrigating the wound and looked up at Robert. His eyes were bright and he had the slightest smile on his face. "Well, let me finish here first and then I'll get you some," she replied with a twinkle in her own eyes.

When she was done, they walked to the lounge together. They were close enough that their arms brushed against one another, though they were very careful not to acknowledge it. Once in the lounge, Melanie took a paper cup and picked up the coffee pot. "You're seriously making me do this?" she asked.

Robert sighed and held out his hand. "Fine, I'll do it," he replied, sounding overly-burdened. "The things I do for you…" Melanie set the cup down on the counter; he filled it, and then set the pot back on the warmer.

"Thank you, Doctor, for getting your _own_ coffee. I'm sure you'll find that it tastes just as good as if I'd done it." Melanie watched as he took a sip and shrugged his shoulders, clearly unimpressed. "You know…a gentleman would offer _me_ a cup of coffee…"

Robert glanced around the empty room. "I don't see any gentlemen here," he replied lightly.

"Oh, I thought I saw one here, but I guess I was wrong," Melanie said with a sigh. "I'll just have to get some myself."

When she reached out to grab a cup, Robert set his down and moved over to do it for her. "Do allow me," he said, giving her a gentle push away from the counter. He made it just the way she liked it most—one sugar and a splash of milk. "Here's your wuss coffee," he said with a grin, holding it out to her.

"Wuss coffee! It is not…Or maybe I should add some chili flakes to it sometime? That might taste good…"

Robert narrowed his eyes and grabbed his own cup again. "Come on, let's go find a patient," he replied before walking to the door and leaving the room. Melanie hurried after him, trying her best to stifle the grin on her face. It was good to be working with him again.

(SCENE)

Robert was finding it difficult to maintain his composure around Melanie. Juggling the student/teacher relationship with the budding romance was far more complicated than he had ever thought it would be. Just one more reason to avoid romance, in his opinion, though it was no longer a piece of advice he was willing to take.

The best moments with Melanie at work were those where he walked her through a new procedure. If he had to place his hand on hers to guide her properly, so much the better, in his opinion. She was always attentive to whatever he said, and careful not to take offense if he had to criticize or correct her, which he did rather frequently. She might be the one he cared for most, but he still had a duty to teach her properly. Letting her get away with mistakes was not an option.

Some of the other moments at work had their merit as well. Catching a glimpse of her smile as she treated a patient or talked to one of the other staff members was particularly delightful. Watching her trying not to smile at him or reach out to embrace him was also nice. Sometimes he caught himself gazing at her and hoped nobody else had noticed.

It was difficult keeping his hands to himself, as Lizzie had advised. He and Melanie often walked close enough that their hands brushed against one another. Sometimes, when nobody was around, they would let them entwine, but always they let go the moment somebody came into view.

All of this was forgotten, however, when Melanie's first trauma showed up on Wednesday. A school bus accident brought in twelve patients with a variety of injuries. Melanie found herself in one of the trauma rooms working on a seven year old girl with a broken arm and several broken ribs.

Abby, who was helping next door, stuck her head into the room. "Dr. Romano, they could use your surgical knowledge in here," she called out before closing the door. Robert looked at Melanie for a moment before hurrying into the other room, leaving her alone with Haleh and the patient.

Melanie was ordering a series of x-rays when the girl's blood pressure began to drop and her heart rate increased. "What?" she asked while looking at the monitors. She turned to examine the girl. "Oh…I think it's her spleen," she murmured while looking at the girl's left side and seeing a large red bruise forming under her ribs. "A rib probably pierced it…" She touched the bruise carefully and noted how hard it was. "She's bleeding really badly! Dr. Romano! Dr. Romano!" she shouted.

Dr. Romano was in the other room yelling at Dr. Pratt, Tina, and anybody else that happened to be around him over something. He didn't hear her over the sound of his own bellowing, but just as she had taken a step towards the door, he turned around and looked at her, then hurried back into the room. "What's wrong?" he asked, rushing over to the patient.

"Splenic rupture, I think," Melanie replied, walking over to stand next to him. She watched as he examined the girl.

"You think? Or you know?" Romano asked, turning to look at her with raised eyebrows.

Melanie bit her lip and looked at the red bruise. "I know," she replied after a moment. "I just needed to know if I should get a CT first or take her straight to the OR. I can't make that call."

"Skip the CT, I'll call the OR now, you wheel her up with the nurse," Romano replied, walking towards the phone on the wall. He got through to somebody upstairs and passed on the information before turning to walk back into the other room. As Melanie and Haleh wheeled the girl out of the room, he turned to look at them. "Good call, Miss Hahn!" he called out to her before disappearing into the other room.

Melanie smiled and returned her attention to the patient as she and Haleh made their way to the elevator. Haleh looked at her with raised eyebrows for a moment in the elevator. "What?" Melanie asked, forcing herself to stop smiling.

"Nothing," Haleh replied quickly, but continued to look at her with a "knowing" expression on her face. "I've just never heard Romano compliment anybody before. _Ever_."

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "It must have been an amazing call, then," she speculated innocently.

"Must have been," Haleh murmured as the elevator door opened and they wheeled the girl out into the hallway. Shirley met them there and took over for them.

"Oh! We didn't have time to x-ray her arm. It's broken…" Melanie exclaimed as Shirley started down the hallway with the girl.

"We'll take care of it, don't worry," Shirley promised.

Melanie and Haleh returned to the ER and found more patients to help.

Robert ended up being needed for half of the students who had come in. Two needed surgery, besides the one Melanie had taken care of. He was in his element, rushing from room to room, making split-second, life or death decisions. He was the only one who could help these children in their hour of need. He felt needed and important again.

By the time they were all finished, he was ravenous. Fortunately for him, Melanie had brought him lunch from Doc Magoo's, and they sat in the lounge together, eating and trading stories. Robert decided it was safer to eat in a public place like the lounge, rather than his office when he was feeling like he did now. He wasn't just ravenous for food at the moment…

"Well, it sounds like it was pretty lucky you were here when this trauma pulled in," Melanie said in between bites of her salad. "Think of all the time that was saved by having a built-in surgical consult already here. I bet you saved some extra lives today!"

"It was nice, being needed," Robert said with a nod of his head. He sat and thought about what she'd just said, while eating his sandwich. He might not have saved extra lives today, but maybe he'd helped ensure that the injuries weren't worse by the time they were operated on. That would lead to less chance of complications and an easier recovery if nothing else.

Melanie glanced around to make sure nobody was about to come into the lounge. "Haleh mentioned in the elevator that you weren't usually one to compliment people," she mentioned casually. "She seemed quite intrigued…"

Robert's face remained impassive as he took the last bite of his turkey sandwich. "Did she? Well, maybe I'll have to start complimenting people more often," he replied nonchalantly.

After lunch, he had her work on sutures for a couple hours to continue with her practice while he went to his office to do paperwork. He needed some time away from her, just to clear his mind. It was difficult, though, and the boring paperwork didn't help much to distract him. His thoughts kept straying to her and how proud he was of her correct diagnosis. He liked to see her growing more confident in her abilities. But he would have to be more careful in what he said to her. Once the nurses caught wind of their relationship, he might as well quit his job and save the board the trouble of firing him.

He was interrupted out of his thoughts by Elizabeth stopping by to fill him in on Melanie's patient. "She came out of surgery a while ago, and we were able to fix the rupture without having to remove the spleen," she said with a smile.

"That's wonderful, Melanie will be thrilled when I tell her," Robert said, smiling as well at the good news. "You should have seen her, Lizzie. She made that call and didn't have any doubts at all. She's doing so well."

Elizabeth shook her head and marveled at how happy he looked when talking about Melanie. She'd never seen him look so happy before. His face lit up even more than she'd seen the few times when they had worked on really interesting cases, and the thrill of the challenge affected him. She was still a bit sad to realize that he truly had moved on with his life, but for the most part, she was really glad for him. He did deserve happiness and all the good things in life that he was slowly finding now. "So, I take it you're glad she's back to working days?" she asked casually.

"I do enjoy getting to see her more often," Robert confessed. "I mean, now that I can make sure she's being taught properly. Who knows what the night docs were teaching her."

"Well I'm sure you can retrain her if you need to," Elizabeth replied before taking her leave.

(SCENE)

"Doctor, is it all right if I dress up for Halloween?" Melanie asked at the end of her shift as Robert walked her to her car. "I wasn't sure what the policy was."

"I don't know what Kerry thinks, but I don't mind," he replied. "What are you going to dress up as? That mermaid again?" He looked hopeful as he asked.

Melanie shook her head. "I haven't decided yet, but I'll need time to get it all ready. That's why I asked now," she said as they approached her car.

"Well, you're always welcome to wear the mermaid outfit at my place," he offered with a grin. He looked around to check that they wouldn't be seen, and then leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered while squeezing her waist with his hand.

Melanie needed a minute to calm down before she could start her car and drive away. That night, she thought for a while about a Halloween costume and came up with what she thought was a perfect idea. It would take a little bit of shopping to find all the items she'd need, however.

The rest of the week passed uneventfully, and Robert wondered how the weekend would go. He had suggested earlier in the week that she could come to his house Friday after work and stay the whole weekend, but she hadn't promised anything. "I have some shopping to do, but maybe I'll come over," she'd replied.

When Robert walked Melanie to her car on Friday, she showed him her overnight bag in the trunk. "I'll come over after my shopping, ok?" she said with a grin.

"Give me a call when you're done and I'll order us something for dinner," he said, feeling elated. "Maybe Chinese?"

Melanie nodded her head. With the trunk of her car open, it shielded them from the view of any possible passersby, so she took the opportunity to kiss him before leaving. "I'll see you later," she promised before driving off.

She was able to get everything she needed for Halloween at a nearby thrift store, which worked well for her budget. A quick call to Robert alerted him that she was on the way to his place, and soon enough, she was there, enjoying the feel of his arm around her waist.

After dinner, they decided to take their dance instructor's advice and practice their waltzing. The foyer had the most leg-room, so he brought in a radio and tuned it to a classical station. They danced until they were ready to collapse in one another's arms. Robert had recently gotten a new brace on his arm that had metal spikes sticking out of it and it required a little more care and maneuvering to not stab Melanie while they danced. By the time they were finished, though, they'd figured out the best way to move, so that during their lesson the next night, they didn't have to worry about it.

(SCENE)

The next morning, Robert woke up before Melanie and went into her room to wake her up. When he saw how adorable she looked curled up in the bed, though, he decided that joining her would be the best course of action instead. He slipped into the bed and wrapped his arms around her, resting his bad arm carefully over her waist, so it didn't hurt him. Now it was his turn to nuzzle her earlobe. Melanie woke up giggling and leaned back into him. "What are you doing? You're a nut!" she murmured.

"I was just trying to wake you up…" Robert said quietly before nipping her earlobe and squeezing her waist.

"I'm awake!" Melanie cried, laughing. She reached her hand up and caressed Robert's cheek. "You make a wonderful alarm clock," she declared. "I wish I could wake up like this every morning…"

"That can be arranged, you know," Robert growled, loving how she was responding to him. He no longer cared if this was breaking rules or made him look like a complete fool, he was happy, and that's all that mattered.

They remained like that for some time, not talking, just enjoying the silence, and the feel of one another being so close. With only the sounds of them breathing, it didn't take long for them to drift back to sleep for some time.

When Melanie woke up again, Robert tried to kiss her, but she gently pushed him away. "No!" she cried, "I haven't brushed my teeth yet!"

Robert walked behind her as she made her way into the bathroom. "I don't care…" he said when he was in the doorway.

"Well I care," Melanie replied before walking over to him and gently pushing him out of the room. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to take a shower."

"I can help…" Robert offered, hopefully.

"No! Now go!" She slapped his backside playfully before shutting the door. Melanie sighed as she stepped into the shower. She really loved his playful side and hoped to continue seeing it over the weekend.

Robert didn't disappoint, and Melanie was treated to his most playful of sides that weekend. When they were together, it seemed as if nothing else mattered. They were the only people in their world when they were inside that house.

(SCENE)

After another fun dance lesson, and a stop to pick up a couple calzones for dinner, the happy couple returned to Robert's house to watch movies. He insisted on watching a horror movie in honor of the upcoming holiday. "Oh, but I hate scary movies!" Melanie wailed as he put in "Friday the 13th".

"Oh, you'll love it," Robert said with a grin. That turned out to be wrong, though. Melanie hated the movie, but he loved it. Every time something scary happened, she buried her head on his shoulder, and at one point in time, she screamed and climbed up onto his lap. He moved around so she could settle in for the rest of the movie facing him as he held onto her. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe," he murmured in her ear as she hugged him. "No maniacs will get you while I'm here…" He decided they needed to watch horror movies much more often.

Melanie stayed through dinner on Sunday, and dance practice afterwards. "I don't think this is the kind of dancing we were supposed to practice," she said as they danced in the kitchen after dinner. She had her arms around his shoulders, and her body pressed against his so tightly they could barely move.

"Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison blared from a radio Robert had brought into the room. "I don't know if you could really call this 'dancing'," he replied with a smile. "Dancing usually involves a bit more moving." He had his arm wrapped around her waist, and occasionally leaned in to kiss her.

After a few kisses, though, he noticed Melanie pressing even closer to him. He started to feel a sense of urgency that made it necessary for him to shift his position slightly away from her. This had happened a couple times over the last week, but he'd managed to keep Melanie from noticing it. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable; however it seemed that he didn't make it in time. Melanie froze, her eyes wide, and pulled away from him slightly. Damn, he thought to himself. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "It's bound to happen now and again…I mean, you're a really pretty girl, and I'm only human after all…"

"No, I'm sorry, it's my fault," Melanie said, looking at the floor. "I was standing too close to you. Maybe I should go…"

"No, you don't have to," Robert said, putting his hand on her arm gently. "But, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me."

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "I'll get used to it," she murmured, "I just need some time." She turned around and walked over to the sink. As she began to wash the dishes, the radio started playing "Don't Stand so Close" by the Police. The subject-matter of the song was quite relevant to their relationship, and hearing it at this particular moment made it feel even more pertinent. Her face turned crimson, and she couldn't turn to look at Robert to see his reaction without risking further humiliation. But as the song played and she continued to work on the dishes, the ridiculousness of the situation hit her. She was training to be a doctor, and what was happening to Robert was quite natural, in fact, she should be flattered. It was time for her to get over her prudish attitude. When a plate slipped out of her hands and splashed soapy water all over her shirt, she began to laugh. She continued to laugh for nearly a full minute before turning to look at Robert.

Robert was looking at Melanie and wondering what had come over her when she walked over to him, grabbed his cheeks with her sudsy hands and kissed him heartily. When she pulled away, she laughed again and returned to the sink. He felt a wave of relief wash over him, knowing that she was going to be all right when these inevitable moments happened.

He brushed the soap off his face and walked over to join Melanie at the sink. "I'd offer to rinse, but it's a little difficult for me now," he said lightly, holding up his bad arm.

"Hey…'Don't stand so close to me'," Melanie quoted as the song ended. Robert leaned into her, and smiled when she leaned back. It was a good way to end the weekend.

(SCENE)

By Halloween, Robert was riding high. Melanie continued to excel in the ER, and was a constant source of pride to him. It was difficult for him to not show his happiness, but the frustration he felt from that helped him appear his usual angry self. He made sure to yell at her whenever it was appropriate, but it was either yell at her or push her up against the wall and have his way with her, which wouldn't be a good idea in public. He tried to avoid her at times too, which made it a bit easier for him. He hadn't seen Melanie yet that morning and was hiding out in his office like usual waiting for her to arrive with his coffee.

Elizabeth was coming out of her office when she saw Melanie walking down the hall towards Robert's office. The younger woman was dressed as Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady, and had done quite a good job replicating the pauper's dress from the start of the film. She even had a straw hat on and a basket of flowers as well. Elizabeth smiled and approached her outside Robert's office. "You look wonderful," she said to Melanie.

"Thanks! I had fun shopping for the clothes," Melanie said, looking down at her dress. They talked for a couple minutes before being interrupted by Robert yelling at them from inside his office. "Where's my coffee?"

Melanie rolled her eyes and opened the office door. "Your outfit is absolutely perfect," Elizabeth said with a grin. "It's too bad you couldn't get him to dress as Professor Higgins…"

Melanie laughed as she walked into the office. "I didn't even think to ask…" she admitted. "Hey, what's Ella going to be this year?"

"A cow," Elizabeth replied. "And when I get off my shift tonight, I'll dress up as a farmer to take her out trick-or-treating."

"Oh, fun!" Melanie looked at Robert and frowned. "You didn't dress up," she pouted.

"But I did," he said, standing up and showing off his regular clothes. "I came as the Chief of Staff, and I think I really captured the look if I do say so myself." He sat down and began to sip his coffee. "And who in the world are you?"

"Eliza Doolittle, from My Fair Lady," Melanie replied. "I didn't expect you to know who she was. I know how you feel about musicals."

Robert shuddered. "Yes," he said, "though my mother would probably know who she is. She loves all those musicals. It doesn't have Gene Kelly in it, does it? My mom loves all his stuff."

"No, he's not in that. But, your mom has good taste," Melanie said with a smile.

Elizabeth smiled too. "Gene Kelly…now there was a gorgeous man if ever there was one," she said with a sigh.

"Absolutely," Melanie replied with a sigh of her own. Robert glared jealously at her until she looked over and noticed him. "Relax, Doctor, he's dead," she said, trying to soothe his nerves.

Elizabeth didn't want to know how Melanie knew about Robert's aversion to Gene Kelly or musicals, but was beginning to suspect that they were spending a _lot_ of their free time outside of work together. When Melanie took a flower out of her basket and tried to put it in the breast pocket of Robert's lab coat, Elizabeth took her leave. This was the first time she'd witnessed the two of them acting so intimately and she felt as though she was intruding on something private.

"Now you look dapper," Melanie declared when she'd snipped the daisy down enough to fit into his pocket without falling out.

"Well, dapper is what I aim for in general," Robert said lightly while standing up and escorting her down to the ER.

There weren't too many people dressed up in the ER, Robert noticed, except for Nurse Lockhart, who was dressed as some sort of naughty nurse from what he could tell. Nice legs, he thought to himself as he watched her walk down the hall. It was Melanie's turn to glare jealously at that point.

When they were working on a patient who had broken her leg, the child in the bed next to them sat up and looked intensely at Robert's arm until he finally turned around and looked down at the boy. "Yes," he asked the child as calmly as possible.

"Are you Wolverine?" the boy asked excitedly, pointing to the brace with spikes. "That's cool!"

Robert looked at his arm and frowned. "No, I am not Wolverine," he replied. "This is from an accident I had."

"What sort of accident?"

"My arm was cut off."

"Wow!"

"By a helicopter."

"Cool! Was there blood and guts everywhere?"

Robert frowned and looked carefully at the child. He seemed genuinely awed, not making fun of him. "No guts, just blood. Lots of it," he said, smiling perversely. "I nearly died, you know…"

"Wow! That is the coolest thing I ever heard in my whole life!" the boy exclaimed. When his father and older brother walked into the room, he called his brother over. "Billy, this man has a zombie arm! Tell Billy what happened." He looked at Robert expectantly.

Robert didn't like being put on display like this, and for some reason, the term "zombie arm" hit too close to home. It seemed to define it perfectly now. Undead, and still there. "I can't," he said quietly. "I have to help my med student now." With that, he turned back to Melanie, who was making a mess of the cast. "Miss Hahn, what are you doing?" he cried angrily.

"It got stuck in my hair!" she exclaimed, pointing to the strip of material hanging from her hair. "I forgot to put on gloves."

"That's not a good excuse, now let's fix this," he growled, leaning over to help her out. When they were done, he glanced at a clock on the wall and cursed silently to himself. "Miss Hahn, I have to go, I'm late for an appointment," he said before leaving the room and walking to the elevators. He had a consultation for his arm, and had nearly forgotten about it.

By the end of the appointment, he wished he had forgotten it. All the months of painful rehab had amounted to nothing, apparently. His functionality was not markedly improved since his last check-back two months ago, and according to the doctor, he wasn't bound to regain much more. Twenty percent chance of any sort of meaningful recovery. Those were his odds.

His mind was reeling now from the prognosis. He'd known all along that a recovery was merely a dream he was chasing, but it had kept him going all this time. Now he knew it was hopeless. Futile. His surgery career was officially dead. He was calling it: Time of death, 4:30pm, October 31, 2002. He walked back to his office, in a daze, feeling as though his life had screeched to a complete halt.

(SCENE)

Robert sat in his office, alone. The lights were turned off and the shades of the window were drawn. He was so wrapped up in his despair that he didn't hear his office door open and shut. "Robert, why is it so dark in here?" a voice called out softly. The voice grew closer as the person walked over to him.

"Melanie…How did you know I was here?" he asked quietly as he felt her standing next to him, her hands reaching out to wrap around his good arm.

"I always know where you are," she replied. "Can we turn on some lights? Or open the shades? It's pitch black in here."

"No," Robert growled, shaking her hands off his arm. "Just go back to the ER, all right? I need to be alone for a while."

Melanie was silent for a while before speaking. "Your appointment…I take it you got bad news?" she asked.

"My arm isn't improving," he said sullenly. "I try so hard, every day. I push myself; I'm in constant pain, and all for nothing." He was silent for a while longer and Melanie stood up, walked behind him, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I was a brilliant surgeon. I wish you could have seen me before…"

"Maybe there are tapes we could find…They record surgeries, right?" She leaned her head against his, and held him tightly in her arms.

"I'll try to find some for you. I don't know that I can watch…It's just…" Robert sighed and reached up with his good hand to touch her arm. "I'm a good surgeon, Melanie. I'm the best. I save people's lives. This is all I am, this is all there is in my life. If I lose this, then I lose everything I am. I'm nothing."

Melanie stood up and kissed the top of his head. "I didn't know you before your accident," she said. This was the first time they'd ever spoken openly about it, and she hoped she didn't upset him further. "I can't compare what you were like then to what you're like now, but I can safely assure you that you are not nothing." She kissed his head again. "I would never love a man who was nothing," she declared. Her heart pounded as she said that.

"What?" Robert was shocked and had no idea what to say.

Melanie moved her hands from his shoulders and knelt down next to him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have said that. This isn't about me and my feelings. This is about you and yours. I just wanted to help you feel better." Robert reached down and brushed his fingers against her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into it. She reached her own hand out and brushed his cheek in return. "We'll get through this, Robert. Your life is meaningful and you are _still_ brilliant. Your life is changing, but I have _so_ much faith in you. I know that you'll be amazing, no matter what happens."

Robert thought about those words. Nobody in his life had ever believed in him so much before. It was a bit overwhelming, really. When Melanie stood up, he pulled her close and they embraced, without speaking. He leaned his head against her chest, feeling comforted by the sound of her heartbeat and the softness of her skin. She wrapped her arms around him again, kissed the top of his head, and rocked him gently.

A/N: This is the first time that I've really referenced an actual episode in the show, but A Hopeless Wound was such an amazing episode that I knew I wanted to touch on it at least. The scene between Robert and Elizabeth in the surgical lounge is one of my top three moments for those two characters. I didn't want to really touch the dialogue of that scene, because it's so brilliant, but I wanted to do my own version of it. I also wanted to adjust a few issues I had with the scene, particularly the fact that Elizabeth never really touches Robert as she's trying to comfort him. I feel that something as small as a friendly hug would have done so much for him, so I made sure to incorporate that into my scene. I hope I managed to do A Hopeless Wound a small justice, while keeping this completely my own. I'd love to hear what you thought of it! Thanks

-Foodie


	12. Birthday Boy

Melanie left Robert in his office and returned to the ER for the rest of her shift. She wanted so badly to help him feel better about his situation, but didn't know how to. Her heart was full of love for him, and it made it difficult for her to be objective. She truly believed there were many things he could still do, if helping others really was what he cared about. He didn't need to be a surgeon to help people. He was doing a great job as her mentor, and assisting in the ER on surgical consults. His life was full, rich, and he was happy; she could tell that he was. But dealing with this loss, the finality of it, it was bound to be difficult to get through, no matter how happy he was otherwise. She would have to be sure to steel herself against what would be a most difficult battle when Robert was forced to make decisions that would affect the rest of his life.

Her heart was heavy as she walked into the ER. Dr. Corday was down there, looking flustered. There was a man standing by her, African American, older than most other med students, but he was wearing a short lab coat, so he had to be one. He followed Dr. Corday around the way most med students followed their advisors.

Melanie was tending to a man who had a bad case of food poisoning, when she saw a woman walk by with Ella in her arms. She watched as the woman gave Ella to Elizabeth, as well as a large diaper bag, and left again. Elizabeth looked harassed as she held the child and walked towards a patient with a leg injury that her med student had alerted her to. Within minutes, she and the med student were wheeling the man up to the OR, Ella still in her arms.

Robert was emerging from his dark office, leaving for the evening. He'd stayed in the dark room, alone, for a couple hours after Melanie left him. He didn't feel like going to his physical therapy session that night, having decided it was pointless. Maybe Melanie would be able to go to dinner with him instead. He was surprised to see Lizzie walking down the hall with a patient on a gurney, a med student he'd never seen before trailing her, and Ella, dressed as a cow, clinging to her.

"Elizabeth, what's going on?" he called out while joining her.

"I have to take this man in for necrotizing fasciitis of the leg, the nanny had to leave on a family emergency, and I have nobody to take care of Ella," she replied, looking near tears, though he knew she wouldn't allow herself to cry.

Robert looked at the patient and felt a pang of envy for Elizabeth. Normally he'd have claimed that patient for himself, allowing her to assist, but not anymore. Now he couldn't even assist in the operation, but, he thought to himself as he looked at the child in Lizzie's arms, he could still lend a hand. Before he realized what he was doing, he heard himself say, "Why don't I take care of Ella for you?"

Elizabeth looked shocked. "What?" she asked curiously.

"Why should she have to miss out on trick-or-treating? We'll take her for the evening." Robert replied.

Elizabeth scrutinized him for a moment. "We" being him and Melanie, of course. Ella knew both of them, and seemed to like them well enough. She'd be safe under their care. "All right," she finally said, as Robert walked over and took the diaper bag, put it over his good shoulder, and then allowed Elizabeth to place Ella in his arm. "I don't know how long this will take; I might be here all night…"

"We'll keep her overnight if you need us to. She can stay in Melanie's room."

Elizabeth really didn't want to know what he meant by that, so she didn't ask. Instead, she thanked him, kissed Ella goodbye, and returned to her patient and med student. "Somebody page Edson!" she called out as the door shut behind her.

Robert sighed and shifted Ella in his arm. "All right, Miss Ella, let's go trick-or-treating," he said as he walked them to the elevator. Ella looked warily at him for a moment as they walked, but after a minute, she settled in and rested her head on his shoulder, her chubby little arms wrapping around his neck.

"Wobee, what's tricks treats?" Ella asked as they got onto the elevator.

Robert wrinkled his brow for a moment before launching into a lecture about the history of All-Hallows Eve and how trick-or-treating had evolved over the years from throwing flour at people and soaping windows, to traveling house-to-house in search of free candy. "And that's why we carve jack-o-lanterns at Halloween, Ella," he finished while they walked down the hallway in the ER. "Does that make sense?"

Ella blinked her eyes a couple times and stuck her thumb in her mouth in response. When she saw Melanie approaching, she took her thumb out of her mouth and smiled. "Melly!" she cried happily.

"Hey Ella!" Melanie said, looking at Robert and the baby. He looked so attractive to her at that moment. She wished they were alone so she could kiss him, but that would have to wait for a while. "What's going on?" she asked him as Ella held her arms out to her.

"Elizabeth got caught up in a procedure so I told her we'd take Ella trick-or-treating," he explained while Melanie took Ella in her arms.

"Oh, that'll be fun," she replied. "But how will we take her? There's no car seat in your car…"

"Is that _really_ necessary? She's big enough, don't you think?"

"No, she has to go in a car seat; I think it's a law actually."

"Damn…Well I don't know where we're going to find one."

"Don't swear in front of the baby! Maybe there's a store nearby where we could buy one…"

Robert walked toward the admit desk and yelled at Randi to search online for nearby stores that sold car seats. Randi took a sucker out of her mouth and looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you need a car seat and why do you have a diaper bag?" she demanded. "Are you planning on kidnapping somebody's baby?"

"Don't ask stupid questions, just do it!" Robert snapped.

Randi sniffed, put the sucker back in her mouth, and turned to the computer. After a minute, she wrote down a couple addresses on a sheet of paper and thrust it at him. "There," she said before storming off.

Robert drove off in search of a car seat while Melanie and Ella played in the family room. He called a half hour later with a triumphant tone to his voice. "Got one," he declared proudly. "Come meet me at the car."

It took a while to get the car seat set up properly, but finally, they were off. Robert tried his best not to think about the fact that he was now the guy with a car seat and a baby in the back of his jag. He consoled himself by continually reminding himself that it was just temporary.

They drove back to his neighborhood, where he claimed the good stuff was, and started walking house-to-house. Ella received many compliments for her cow costume, and Melanie did too, for she was still dressed as Eliza Doolittle. Robert stood back and allowed them to go to the doors by themselves. After only an hour, Ella had a bag full of candy. "Too bad she's too little for most of this," Robert said as he rifled through the bag, looking for something to eat. He settled on a Butterfinger bar.

When Ella was tired of trick-or-treating, Melanie drove them to a nearby steakhouse. It was a busy night, but they stayed occupied while looking after the baby. "What an adorable daughter you two have," the server said as they got Ella into her high chair.

Melanie blushed, but Robert merely thanked the server as she handed out menus. "Why didn't you correct her?" Melanie asked quietly as they looked over their menus.

Robert shrugged. "I figure it could have been worse," he explained. "She could have thought _you_ were my daughter too…"

Melanie shook her head, but smiled. That was probably something they'd have to deal with once in a while. Ella was busily coloring the children's menu, and informed them that she wanted the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Delicious choice," Robert said in approval. He ordered a steak, deciding he was brave enough to ask Melanie for help cutting it.

Melanie was having trouble finding something to eat. Apparently steakhouses didn't focus on vegetarian fare. "The cows are vegetarians," Robert informed her with a wicked grin while she rolled her eyes at him. She finally found a pasta dish that worked for her. After ordering, they sat back and relaxed. Ella and Robert became engrossed in a conversation about barnyard animals, and Melanie watched. He was so good with children; it was fascinating to see how he interacted with them compared to how he was around most adults. He seemed more at ease with kids.

"They don't have ulterior motives," he explained as she cut his steak. She'd asked him hoping he'd answer. She never knew with him, what he'd answer and what he wouldn't. He was funny that way. "They're pure, more real."

"Not all adults have ulterior motives," Melanie replied, practically.

"True, but they're few and far between," Robert said as she passed his plate back to him.

Melanie cut the crusts off of Ella's sandwich, and then diced up the apple slices for her to eat without choking. "Well, _I_ don't have ulterior motives," she declared while twirling strands of fettuccine Alfredo onto her fork and holding it out to Robert to eat.

Robert accepted the bite and considered her words while eating it. "No, I suppose you don't," he finally replied. "That's probably why I keep you around. It helps balance me out. I always have an ulterior motive. More than one, whenever possible."

Melanie grinned. "Oh? Did you have an ulterior motive when you took me on as a med student?"

Robert smirked and sipped his beer before answering. "Of course I did."

"And the dance lessons?"

"Definitely."

"And having me stay over in your guest room?"

"Are you kidding me?"

Melanie blushed and turned her attention to the mess Ella had made with her sandwich. "Ella, the food goes in your mouth, not on your face!" she scolded lightly. Ella picked up a piece of apple and applied it to the peanut butter on her cheek, causing it to adhere it to her face. She shook her head solemnly, at which, Melanie and Robert both burst out laughing.

When the meal was over, Melanie drove them back to Robert's house. "You think Dr. Corday's still in surgery?" she asked while picking up a sleeping Ella from her car seat.

"Most likely," Robert replied, opening the door for them. "That boy's going to lose his leg." He sighed sadly at the thought. "We should put Ella in the guest room. Are you ok sharing a bed with her?"

"No problem," Melanie said. "I'll go put her to bed now. I'll be down soon."

Robert watched as she walked the baby upstairs and had a strange feeling as he did. Melanie was good with children, very natural. She'd make a good mother one day. Life as a busy surgeon would ruin that. He knew this from what he'd seen Elizabeth go through over the last couple years. Even tonight was further evidence of it. Melanie deserved to be a mother to her children. He sighed while sitting down on the couch and petting Gretel's ears. Two dreams dashed in one day. It had certainly been a banner Halloween so far.

When Melanie came downstairs, he turned on the TV and found "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" just starting. She settled into his arms as they watched. At one point in time, she looked up at him and smiled. "Of all the Robert Romanos in the world, you're the Robert Romanoest," she paraphrased before laying her head against his chest and listening to his heart beat rhythmically.

"That's quite profound," he replied with a chuckle. "Hey, are you comparing me to Charlie Brown?"

Melanie laughed lightly and ran her hand over his bald head. "Maybe just a little…" she teased. Robert stuck his tongue out at her and reached down to tickle her. She laughed and gasped while trying to knock his hand away from her, but he was too strong. "Ok, ok! I take it back! You're nothing like Charlie Brown!" she cried. Robert stopped tickling her, grinned, and kissed her gently before sitting back up again to watch the rest of the show.

He sat silently for a while, occasionally looking down at Melanie, who had drifted to sleep. He'd received the worst possible prognosis for his arm today, and while he was disappointed, he wasn't devastated. He should be. Dr. Corday was currently performing a surgery he'd have jumped at the chance to do, and he wasn't devastated. What did that mean? He was too tired to figure it out now, however.

There was no way he could carry Melanie up to her room, so he gently woke her up and walked with her upstairs. He went into her room and glanced at Ella, who was sound asleep in the large bed. In the bathroom, Melanie took all of her clothes off except for the petticoat under the dress. After brushing her teeth, she slipped into the bed next to Ella. Ella curled up next to Melanie and wrapped her arms around the older woman's waist. Robert kissed Melanie and took one last look at them. She looked so natural and happy and beautiful that it made his throat ache from wanting to say so, but he was too afraid of ruining that moment.

Once he was outside the room, and had shut the door, the realization of what he wanted for his life hit him like a ton of bricks. He was not an enlightened man, in his opinion, but at that moment, he had an epiphany. His whole life unfolded before his eyes, and he knew exactly what he wanted, and exactly how to get it. It was so vivid and tangible at that moment that it nearly took his breath away.

That night, Robert slept soundly.

(SCENE)

The next day proved something of a challenge for Melanie, because she didn't have a change of clothes at Robert's house, and only had her Eliza Doolittle costume to wear to work. She kept a spare set of clothes there, and would be able to change, but not before people noticed her.

Elizabeth helped things a bit, though, by driving over to pick Ella up before work. "How did things go?" she asked while Ella hugged her.

"Great! She's such a wonderful girl," Melanie said, holding out the diaper bag which also contained the bag of candy. "We had a fun time trick-or-treating and Robert only stole a couple pieces of candy."

"He's welcome to more if he likes," Elizabeth replied lightly as he walked into the room. She left a few minutes later, with plans to sleep the entire day away. The nanny was back and would be able to look after Ella.

Melanie drove Robert's car to work and they both hoped and prayed that nobody noticed. Thankfully, nobody did. She went inside first and was in the ER before he got out of the car. By the time he arrived in the ER, she was being teased mercilessly by the staff.

"Wow, you must have had some night…" Carter joked.

Susan glanced over at Robert and grinned. "Yeah, you must have had quite a fun time with _Paul_," she added. "Things still going good for you two?"

"Yes, things are wonderful for us," Melanie replied nonchalantly and carefully not looking at Robert. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get changed before Dr. Weaver sees me. I'll never hear the end of it if she does." She hurried into the lounge and looked around for her clothes for a minute before finding them under a pile of boxes. Sometimes it was difficult not having a locker.

By the time she returned to the admit desk in her regular clothes, Dr. Weaver was at the desk, but none the wiser, thankfully. Melanie quickly picked out a chart and hurried off to find her patient.

Susan kept smiling at Robert, but didn't tease him. She knew better. "You're letting your imagination get the better of you," Robert said as he followed her down the hall for a surgical consult. "There could be any number of reasons why Miss Hahn was still in her Halloween costume this morning."

"Mmmhmm," Susan replied with a glint in her eye. "Well, she's not hungover, so she didn't go out and party. I have to assume that she had a steamy date with Paul that just, never ended…She woke up this morning at his house, realized she had no clothes, and had no time to stop by her dormitory for new ones, because she had to come all the way from his house…"

Robert cleared his throat and looked at the patient's chart, his face impassive. "You may not be entirely incorrect in your assumption," he said curtly. "Though I was not present, it does sound rather plausible. You'd have to ask her yourself, though. It is none of my business what my med student does in her private life." Damn, Susan was good. At least she was a good-natured person whose biggest ulterior motive was hearing a good story about somebody else's love life. That was easy enough to handle. Annoying to deal with, yes, but easy to handle.

"Well, I will definitely do that," Susan replied. "I just hope that Paul treats her nicely. She's such an innocent, don't you think? Some people are like that, you know. You look at them, and you can just tell that they have lot of life to experience still. It would be so easy to take advantage of her."

Robert inhaled sharply. He looked Susan squarely in the eyes with a stony expression on his face. "Believe me, Susan, if I ever hear of Paul doing such a thing to her, I will personally hunt him down, and destroy him," he replied quietly.

"That's good to know, Robert," Susan said, smiling appreciatively.

Robert ended their conversation by taking the patient up to the OR. He delivered the man to Shirley, and then walked to his office. He needed to get away from the ER drama for a while. He had a lot of things to think about at the moment—one of them being the fact that Melanie needed to bring clothes to his house for emergencies like this. All of this could have been avoided if she'd had clothes at his house.

By the time she arrived with his morning coffee, he was ready to reemerge from his office and come down to the ER with her. The costume debacle had been forgotten as traumas pulled in and people needed assistance. Robert was in high demand for surgical consults while Melanie helped a motorcycle accident victim with a broken jaw.

"The jaw will be all right until tomorrow, but you've got to go see a dental surgeon. It's probably going to need to be wired shut for some time to properly heal," she explained to the man with a very swollen face. "And since you have no idea when your last tetanus shot was, I'm going to give you one. You could get lockjaw otherwise."

The rest of the week passed uneventfully, much to Robert's delight. When Melanie came over to his house on Friday, she brought enough clothes with her to fill up one of the dresser drawers in the spare room.

The next morning, she still wouldn't let him help her in the shower, though not for a lack of Robert trying. "You could help _me_ take a shower," he offered before she shut the door on him. He smiled as he left her room. He'd wear her down eventually.

Melanie loved it when he was aggressive like that, but definitely wasn't ready for co-ed showers with him. She did kiss him when she emerged from the shower and found him in the kitchen with Gretel. "Hey, did you realize your birthday is in a week? We need to celebrate it," she said while picking up Gretel's chew toy and tossing it across the room for her to fetch.

Robert frowned and shook his head. "I hate my birthday," he replied. "It just means I'm a year older than I was a year ago."

"But it's the most important day of your life! The day you were born, is very worthy of celebrating," Melanie said, sounding shocked.

"I've never liked celebrating it…"

"Well, we have to do _something_," Melanie insisted, walking over and wrapping her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder. "I mean, it's a very important day to _me_…" She kissed his cheek and traced his jaw with her fingertips. She loved his jaw-line. "If you hadn't ever been born, then we wouldn't be here now, right? My life would be much emptier."

Robert smiled and sighed. She did have a point. "All right," he replied. "What would you like to do?"

"I want to make dinner for you!" Melanie declared. "And bake a homemade cake! Not from a mix."

"Chocolate cake?"

"If you like. You can choose the entire menu and I'll make it for you."

"Even if I want octopus or raw fish?"

"Is that what you want?"

"No…" In the end he settled on a meal that Melanie thought she'd be able to make without too many problems.

"I don't know what present to get for you," she said as they walked into the backyard with the dog.

"I don't need a present. Dinner and you is all I need," Robert insisted. He hugged her close to him, trying to stay warm as it started to snow. "First snow of the season," he declared while Gretel ran around trying to catch flakes.

That night, instead of watching a movie, they sat under a blanket together, on the window seat in the living room, with all the lights off, watching the snow fall outside.

(SCENE)

Over the next week, with all the work Melanie did, and all the traumas she helped with, what occupied her thoughts most was having to cook dinner for Robert on Saturday. It wasn't something she was very skilled at, though she'd always wanted to improve her abilities. Testing them out on Robert was nerve-wracking. What if dinner was terrible and the cake came out flat? She would ruin his birthday.

She spent time in her dormitory researching recipes. Robert wanted roast chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner, and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for dessert. She looked for recipes and found some that sounded delicious and simple. By Friday she had her shopping list all ready and all the recipes memorized.

Saturday afternoon, Melanie sent Robert out of the house for a few hours so she could cook without him underfoot. "Go buy yourself something fun," she commanded as he walked out the door. He was going to walk to the park nearby and then go to some stores afterwards since she couldn't drive him. Melanie watched as he disappeared from sight before walking to the kitchen. She put on a frilly white apron that he'd purchased for her. I look like June Cleaver, she thought to herself, before opening the refrigerator door and getting to work.

(SCENE)

Robert returned home a couple hours later with bags in his hand. He'd found some books at a local used-book shop, and set them down on the table by the stairs in the foyer. "Honey, I'm home!" he called out jokingly. The first thing he noticed was the lack of delicious smells in the house. He was a little disappointed, having hoped that he'd be greeted by the aroma of roast chicken when he got home. The second thing he noticed was the lack of Melanie responding to him. No laugh, no running out of the kitchen to hug him.

"Melanie?" he called out cautiously. As he looked around the foyer, he saw Gretel sitting in the kitchen doorway, her tail twitching haughtily. He walked over to the dog only to have her lope away from him as he approached. "Melanie?" he called out again, his heart starting to beat rapidly. He walked to the living room door and looked into the room, where he saw an arm dangling from the couch.

Robert rushed over to the couch and looked down to see Melanie lying on the couch, one arm flung out over the side, and the other bent over her face. He could hear muffled crying coming from underneath it. "Melanie, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked, sitting down and moving her hand away from her face.

Melanie's face was red and he could tell she'd been crying for some time now. "Your birthday is ruined!" she cried, moving to prop herself up on her elbows and look at him. She still had her frilly apron on, and used it to wipe her tears on.

"What happened?" Robert repeated worriedly.

"I was getting the chicken ready," she explained, sniffling. "I washed it in the sink like I was supposed to and when I was carrying it to the counter it was slippery. It slipped out of my hands and fell on the floor."

"Oh, well, you could just wash it off again. That's no problem," Robert reassured her. He patted her knee encouragingly.

"But that's not all," she continued. "When I tried to reach down to get it, Gretel ran over and snatched it up. And then she ran away from me. I ran after her and tried to get it back but she was too fast."

Robert pursed his lips, trying not to laugh. Melanie was a sensitive girl; he didn't want to upset her more than she already was. "Oh, well…I suppose we can just have something else for dinner instead," he replied lightly.

"But that's not all," she said again. "I tried to get the chicken back but she ran away from me and I couldn't find her. When I found her after a long time, she didn't have it anymore. I looked and looked everywhere but I couldn't find it. I still don't know where it is!" With that she burst into tears again and flopped back down on the couch.

Robert wrinkled his nose in disgust. A renegade raw chicken was hiding somewhere in his house. That was a problem…But not one he could solve at the moment. "And the cake?" he asked cautiously. Melanie's sobs increased and he immediately regretted asking. He _had_ been looking forward to the cake. With a sigh, he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "All right, here's what we're going to do," he said calmly. "We're going to go out to our dance lesson, and then we'll go to dinner. I think that sounds like a fine plan, don't you?"

Melanie wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly. "You aren't upset?" she asked, sniffling.

"No," he said softly, pulling back and reaching his hand out to gently wipe her tears away. "These things happen. I'll have to give Gretel a stern talking-to about it. Why don't we get ready to go?" He kissed both of her cheeks and smiled.

Melanie slowly stood up and walked upstairs to change her clothes and wash her face. Robert found Gretel in the kitchen and scowled at her. "Why are you being so difficult?" he hissed. "You are being a _very_ bad dog!" When Melanie came back downstairs, they left Gretel behind as they drove off to their lesson.

(SCENE)

Robert was able to get his roast chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner that night after all. They found a bistro after their dance lesson, and he made sure to order it. "I'll make it for you some day," Melanie promised. "Maybe next time we can buy two chickens, just in case."

The bistro also had chocolate cake on their dessert menu, so he was able to get that as well. Since there were no candles on the cake to blow out, he made a wish and kissed Melanie instead. In spite of all the earlier dramatics, it turned out to be a very pleasant evening for them.

They walked around town for some time after dinner, looking at the shops and sights and enjoying being together. Their hands were entwined as they made their way through the streets. It was a cold night, though not snowing, but they walked close together for warmth anyway. Melanie was so happy to be with Robert that it was difficult not to smile the entire time they were out. She had been so worried about ruining his birthday that it was quite a relief to know he hadn't been upset. The worry and relief were soon pushed away by a sense of love for him. And as they walked and she saw his profile in the moonlight, she was once again reminded of how attractive she found him. Both the love and attraction swirled around inside her, threatening to overwhelm her. She didn't know what to do with those feelings or how to express them, but she knew that she had to find a way to, and soon.

When they returned to his house that night, they sat on his couch, both lost in their own thoughts. Melanie felt her heart pound inside her chest and she had to breathe deeply to stay calm. She felt as if she would pass out soon if something didn't change. Looking over at Robert, she could tell that he was interested in more than just sitting and holding hands. Carefully, she moved down the couch until she was next to him. After taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she stood up and sat down on his lap, smiling at the look of shock on his face. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned in to kiss him.

Up until now, their kisses had been gentle and short, though plentiful. Tonight, however, Melanie was not interested in those sorts of kisses, nor in eggplant kisses or spicy kisses. She wanted slow, steamy kisses. Kisses that lasted for hours and left her weak in the knees. The kind she'd read about in books, but had never experienced herself.

Robert was amazed to find Melanie in his lap, pummeling him with kisses. He didn't try to stop it, and enjoyed her ministrations. He returned the kisses, and smiled when their tongues brushed against one another. He heard her moan quietly when that happened, and brought his hand up to her face, caressing her jaw with his fingertips to reassure her. He knew this was all very new for her. His heart was pounding too; it felt as though it might jump right out of his chest.

Their bodies felt like they were on fire and Melanie didn't know how long she would be able to last. Robert moved his fingers from her jaw down to her collarbone, tracing it and enjoying the softness of her skin. He continued to move his hand down, lightly running his fingers up and down her arm, causing her to shudder. He could feel goose bumps break out on her skin and broke away from kissing her long enough to lean down and kiss the hollow of her neck. He heard her cry out gently as he did this, and, no longer able to ignore the sensation he was feeling, was forced to shift her off his lap, and against the end of the couch. He leaned over and nipped the skin of her collar bone for a minute while she tried to form words. "I…I…" she murmured in his ear.

"Shhh," he whispered, moving back in to press his lips to hers. They kissed for several more minutes before Melanie pulled away and slithered off the couch to land on the floor. She was breathless and wouldn't allow him to help her up.

"I…I…" she repeated, feeling close to tears. "I didn't think…I didn't know…How do I…" she wasn't able to speak any more coherently than that while processing her feelings. Her senses were overloaded and she felt that if he touched her again she would pass out. It was all she could do to get her breathing back under control again.

Robert was also overwhelmed by Melanie, though he had better command of himself and his feelings. He was just as breathless and had the added pressure of keeping his body in check, lest he humiliate himself in front of her. He reached his hand down and ran his fingers through her hair. "I know…I know…" he murmured.

He'd been with plenty of women over the years, but none of them had made him feel quite like this. This was like a first love. Hell, maybe it was one. Maybe all those relationships he'd ever had hadn't meant anything, and this was his real first love. If that was the case, then he and Melanie were on equal footing.

They were both silent for some time, the only sound in the room being that of their barely-controlled breathing. Melanie stood up a few minutes later, though her legs felt wobbly. "I didn't know it was going to be like this," she whispered. "I think I'll just go to bed now, if you don't mind…"

Robert nodded his head and watched as she slowly walked away. When she was gone, he leaned forward and pressed his fingers against his temples. He couldn't even think anymore. After a few minutes, he stood up and walked upstairs towards his room. He didn't stop at Melanie's door, though he thought about it for a second, but walked down to his room and went inside.

He took a long, cold shower, and changed into his pajama bottoms. When he walked to his bed, he grabbed the unmade bed sheets and pulled them back to get in. Looking down, he saw the chicken that Gretel had stolen that afternoon on the mattress. It looked like the horse-head scene from The Godfather, only slightly less graphic. "Gretel!" he cried, walking to the door, wrenching it open, and storming down the hall.

Melanie had been almost asleep, but woke up with a start and rushed out into the hall after hearing Robert bellowing a few choice curses. "What's the matter?" she asked, her heart pounding with fear.

"I found the chicken," Robert said, sighing and shaking his head. "How do you feel about mattress shopping tomorrow?"

Melanie bit her lip and tried not to laugh. "I didn't think to go into your room," she said apologetically. She wondered if she should invite him to sleep in her bed, but looking at his bare torso, and seeing how muscular and pleasantly hairy his chest was, she knew that would be a bad idea. She could barely keep her hands off of him when he was fully clothed, a night in bed with him after the kissing would only end one way. And she wasn't ready for that yet. "What are you going to do?" she asked quietly.

Robert would have loved to sleep in Melanie's bed, but knew that wasn't a good idea. "I'll sleep on the couch," he replied lightly.

Melanie pointed to her door. "You could sleep here if you want," she said. When he raised his eyebrows at her, she continued. "I could sleep on the couch," she offered.

Robert shook his head. "No, that's very nice of you, but I don't want you sleeping on the couch," he said, looking at her and resisting the urge to hug her. "Besides, I have to go have a talk with Gretel…Why don't you go back to bed?"

"All right," Melanie replied, though she didn't move. Her eyes didn't move from his chest and she felt her breathing grow shallow.

"Are you ok?" Robert asked, looking at her carefully. When Melanie nodded, he turned and walked down the hallway to the stairs.

Melanie took a cold shower that night before going to sleep.

(SCENE)

The awkwardness both of them had felt the previous night seemed to have dissipated after a good night's sleep. After breakfast the next morning, Melanie drove Robert to a mattress store where they spent a couple hours trying to find the perfect mattress. "You don't want it to be too firm or too soft," Robert said as they walked into the store. "It's like Goldilocks, you want it to be just right."

He tested out a lot of mattresses, and made her try them out too. "You're going to sleep in it eventually…" he said quietly, causing her to blush furiously.

"Robert!" she hissed, hitting him lightly on the arm.

"What? It's true," he said with a devilish grin. He watched as she lay down on the mattress, her light brown hair creating a halo around her head. He wanted to lie down next to her but knew they'd get thrown out of the store if they did that. "How is it?" he asked curiously.

"It's nice and supportive," she said, turning to lie on her side. "I think it's really comfortable."

"Let me try," he said as she sat up. He lay down next to her and closed his eyes. "Yes, this is a nice one," he finally declared a minute later. He opened his eyes, looked up at Melanie, and thought about sharing his bed with her. The nights they'd spend sleeping in one another's arms, and the nights they'd spend not sleeping…Judging by the look on her face, she was thinking the same thing too.

Their thoughts were interrupted by a salesman who approached them. "Good morning, and how are you today?" he asked in greeting. He was a tall, handsome man, only a few years older than Melanie and couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

Melanie smiled and stood up from the mattress. "Very well, thanks," she said.

When the salesman held out his hand to shake hers, Robert stood up as well and put his arm around her waist. "Yes, we're doing very well today," he replied. "_We_ are interested in this mattress."

"A very good choice," the salesman said with a toothy smile. "Why don't we step over to the counter to fill out the paperwork?"

Robert and Melanie followed the salesman to the counter and filled out the order sheet. The mattress would be delivered to his house later that week and the delivery people would bring it into the house and set it up for him. He'd have to be there, as he didn't trust strangers in his house. "I'll take the day off work," he said to Melanie as they left the store. "You'll be all right without me for a day."

"I'll miss you," Melanie said as they drove to a linen store. "So, what do you have in mind for new bed sheets?"

"Well I thought I'd let you pick some out," Robert said with a smile.

Melanie loved looking at all the colors and textures. "Flannel is nice for the winter," she said, running her hand over the samples. "It's so cozy…" She looked over all the patterns available. "Snowflakes!" she cried excitedly, pointing them out to Robert. He cringed at the thought of sleeping in a bed with snowflake sheets and hoped that she'd find something different.

"What color is your comforter?" she asked as they continued to look.

"Navy blue," he replied. "Solid, no pattern."

Melanie nodded. "I don't want to get anything that'll clash," she declared, putting away the snowflake flannel sheets much to Robert's delight. In the end, she settled on navy blue and white stripes. "These will be great for the winter," she said as they looked around for matching pillow cases.

Robert smiled and wondered if that meant she'd be sleeping in his bed by that time, but didn't say anything. He picked out some very expensive red silk sheets that made Melanie's jaw drop when she read the price tag. "What? Why not enjoy the good life if you can afford it?" he asked casually while they walked to the cash register.

Robert insisted on taking Melanie out to lunch after they'd finished at the linen store. "You always buy everything for me, Robert," she said as they sipped their tea. "You really should let me pay my own way sometimes…It's only fair."

Robert shook his head and looked sternly at her. "Absolutely not," he replied, sounding as though she'd suggested he give Gretel away to the next homeless man he saw. "I enjoy taking care of you."

Melanie put her hand on his and squeezed it lovingly. She knew that paying for things was how Robert expressed how he felt, but she still felt strange at times letting him spend all of his money on her. "Thank you," she said with an earnest smile.

(SCENE)

The rest of the day was spent at his house, quietly. Melanie finished her cross-stitch in the living room while he read a book in his study. Robert liked that she felt comfortable enough in his house to be in a different room from him. He loved having her in his house, but still needed his space. It was a good way to be together, but not.

He'd been in his study for a few hours when she came into the room and showed her cross-stitch to him when she'd finished. "It looks wonderful," he said, kissing her on the cheek and taking it from her. "As promised, I'll have it framed for you."

After dinner, Melanie got ready to leave, and decided to risk another long kiss. They were standing in the kitchen, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned in to kiss him. They kissed for several minutes, as Robert ran his fingers through her hair and up and down her back, finally settling on her backside, which she made no attempt to stop.

They found it easier to make out while standing up. There was less temptation to go further when they didn't have a soft couch underneath them. Melanie found it just as thrilling, but felt less terrified and overwhelmed by it. She was able to truly enjoy herself and Robert could sense that. He loved that she mirrored whatever he did. Kissing his throat, ear, or collarbone when he kissed hers. While she was kissing his neck, he whispered into her ear some of the things he wanted to do with her in his new bed.

Melanie gasped and pulled away from him for a minute. "Robert!" she cried, playfully hitting him on the arm. "I can't believe you just said that!" When he grinned wickedly at her and scooped her up in his arm, she smiled. "Actually I _can_ believe you said that…It's very you," she added before leaning in to start kissing him again. Robert pressed her up against the refrigerator door and started kissing her throat. After a few minutes, he decided to test his luck, and moved his hand down to cup her breast. "Nnn-nnh," she uttered in the middle of their kisses, and moved his hand down to her waist. He made a frustrated sound, but didn't try to move his hand again.

By the time Melanie left that evening, Robert had a hickey on his neck to be quite proud of, had it not been for the fact that he had no way of explaining it to his colleagues when he went into work the next day. "Just wear a turtleneck," Melanie suggested with a laugh as she drove away. Robert sighed and shook his head. Heating things up was going to be a lot of fun. If it didn't kill him first.


	13. The Calm Before the Storm

Robert had to deal with people giving him strange looks all day at work on Monday. He thought it would have bothered him more than it did. But, it felt like proof to the world that somebody out there didn't think he was a horrible person. Somebody actually found him attractive. He showed off his hickey as if it were a badge of honor.

Susan couldn't stop smiling at him. When she cornered him in the suture room, she peered at his neck and cackled. "I dunno," she finally said after wiping the tears out of her eyes, "I might have to have a talk with your girlfriend about not taking advantage of _you_! Maybe she's not as innocent as she looks."

Robert chuckled in spite of himself. "She is, she's just a fast learner," he replied.

"You need to come up with a fake girlfriend, you know, so you can tell people who did this to you when they ask."

Robert was thinking of good names while walking to his office. Elizabeth interrupted his thoughts when she walked past him and did a double-take. "Robert? What's that on your neck? Is that a…_Robert_! How could you?" her voice grew in pitch with each question. She looked thoroughly disgusted.

"I didn't do this to myself," he replied blithely, walking into his office.

"You know what I mean," Elizabeth replied, her look turning to disapproval. She followed behind him into the office and shut the door behind her. "It's one thing to carry on outside of work, but to show up here bearing the evidence is just asking for trouble!" She felt a stab of jealousy as she spoke, her voice shrill. This wasn't the first time in the last couple months that she questioned herself for the choices she'd made in the past. She folded her arms and shook her head. "Traipsing around here like this…You'll get caught and lose your job and then where will that leave you?" Robert looked at her, his eyes piercing hers, leaving her feeling naked and vulnerable.

Robert's smile faded and he shook his head slowly. "You're jealous," he declared coldly. When she shook her head and opened her mouth to protest, he continued. "Yes, you are! You had plenty of time to change your mind, believe me. You will never know what you put me through over the years. I've finally moved on with my life, Elizabeth, and now you want to ruin it for me? I'm flattered that you've finally realized what you missed out on over the years, but it is way too late for us. It's time you moved on with your life too."

Elizabeth felt as though she'd been slapped in the face. Her face grew red and she gasped at harshness of his voice. She didn't know what to say to him, and wondered how he could read her mind like that. He was truly scary sometimes. But he wasn't done yet. He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I once said that we were a match made in heaven, but now that I have more perspective, I can see that I was very wrong. You and I would have been a disaster. Maybe it's better for both of us that nothing ever happened." With that, he moved his hand off her shoulder, and down to the doorknob. He turned it, opening the door, letting her know with no uncertainty that their conversation was over.

Elizabeth stood there for a moment, reeling from the sting. Robert still knew how to hurt her after all this time. As she slowly left, shutting the door behind her, she thought about his words. Maybe he'd been right. They would have been a disaster. A patient was rolled up to the OR a minute later, and her pain was forgotten as she went to assist him.

(SCENE)

"Does it hurt?" Melanie asked apologetically at lunch that afternoon. She reached out and brushed her fingers lightly over the mark on Robert's neck.

"No," Robert assured her as he grabbed her hand and moved it up to his lips to kiss it. They were in his office, so nobody would see them. "People keep asking me how I got it, though."

Melanie blushed and grinned. "We'll need to make a fake girlfriend for you," she said.

"That's what Susan suggested," Robert replied. "I've been thinking of names. What do you think of Sally?"

Melanie wrinkled her nose. "I can't see you dating a woman named Sally or Betty or any of those old-fashioned names," she replied. "How about…Cassandra?"

Robert shook his head. "Too fancy," he said.

"What about Joan? That's a nice name."

Robert considered that for a moment before nodding his head. "That works. Joan…McGill. She has a voracious sexual appetite and kept me up all night long."

Melanie grinned. "Really? On your couch? Since you can't use your bed anymore…"

"Nah, we used your bed." She hit him playfully on the leg and he grabbed her hand. When she tried to pull away, he tugged on her hand until she stood up and walked over to him. "Sit," he commanded. When she was seated on his lap, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. As they kissed, Melanie ran her fingertips lightly over his scalp. Nobody had ever done that to him before, and the sensation ran through his entire body. He moaned into her mouth from the pleasure, and sadly, pulled away from her. "You can't do that to me while we're at work," he said breathlessly, sliding her off his lap and standing up. Melanie had no idea the effect she had on him. It took every ounce of strength and willpower he had not to pounce on her.

"Maybe we need to stick to public places while we're at work," Melanie suggested, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and trying to catch her breath.

"It is a good idea," he replied. He realized, looking at her, that he was already breaking too many rules, and putting both of them in danger of getting caught. It was only a matter of time before they slipped up and got in trouble for it. Melanie was just too much of a temptation.

She nodded her head and looked sad, then picked up the rest of her sandwich and ate it. "So, starting tomorrow, we can eat at Doc Magoo's or in the cafeteria," she said when she'd finished eating. Glancing at her watch, she smiled. "I have five minutes left of my lunch break…should I just go now?"

Robert sat down next to her on the love seat by the wall and shook his head. "What could happen in five minutes?" he asked casually, grinning and leaning back.

Melanie leaned over and gently kissed the red spot on his neck. "Not much, I'm sure," she replied, pressing her lips to his and forgetting about anything else except him.

(SCENE)

The next day, while Melanie was working on Benny, who had come in with cuts on his feet, Robert stood at the admit desk, looking at charts. He'd lined up a few good ones for Melanie when Kerry walked over to him. "No cherry picking, Robert! We deal with the patients in the order they came in," she barked. Her eyes narrowed and her sights closed in on the slightly-faded hickey on his neck. "Robert…Do you really think walking around here with that thing on your neck is setting a good example for the employees? Or your med student? You could be creating an uncomfortable situation for her, you know. The last thing you need is a sexual harassment suit…"

"And why would me having a mark on my neck create an uncomfortable situation for my med student, Kerry? She's a mature, rational adult, I doubt seeing it is going to send her into an uproar," he replied coolly.

"Perhaps not, but it is something to keep in mind, Robert," Kerry said. "Med students are still young and impressionable after all. It wouldn't be a good idea to imply that behavior of that sort is acceptable for a Chief of Staff."

"So, Chiefs of Staff aren't allowed to have love lives? And why do you care so much about my med student? She's doing very well, and you know it. I can see a marked improvement in her performance since she returned to days."

"Working nights seems to have allowed her to grow as a doctor," Kerry agreed with a nod of her head. "Probably because it's generally slower-paced at night. Less distractions, more attention from the doctors."

"Miss Hahn gets plenty of attention working days," Robert said, feeling insulted. "And she does just fine in the fast pace of days."

"Maybe so, but you do spend a lot of time in your office, leaving her on her own," Kerry replied casually.

"Well, the duties of Chief of Staff still have to get done, and she seems to do just fine with a little more freedom. Perhaps because you're used to students who need their hands held the entire time, you're unable to accept that some students are brighter and better than others." Deep down, Robert knew that Melanie was an average ER doctor, but the ER wasn't where she'd end up. He felt compelled to defend her abilities anyway.

"Be that as it may, Robert, she's only a third year med student, and requires more attention! She's still a little timid when it comes to traumas."

"What are you talking about? Didn't you hear about the splenic rupture she caught last week? It was an amazing call!"

"She's still more likely to hesitate in making a diagnosis. I witnessed it twice in the last week. Just yesterday, in fact. She deferred to Miss Smith the first time and to Mr. Jones yesterday. Neither of their diagnoses was correct, and I suspect she knew the right answers, but held back for some reason. She needs to stop letting the other students intimidate her. It's not likely a trend that will stop as she moves along in her career unless she nips it in the bud now."

Robert couldn't say anything to this. He hadn't been there for the traumas Kerry was referring to, which only emphasized her earlier point about not being there for Melanie. And he had no idea what Melanie was doing deferring to those idiots, but he was determined to find out. "Thank you, Kerry, for your astute observations," he said stiffly. "Rest assured that I will speak to Miss Hahn about this." With that, he turned, files still in hand, and walked away.

(SCENE)

On Thursday, Melanie was sad because Robert was taking the day off, and she'd have to work that day alone. Her sadness increased when Dr. Weaver informed her that she'd be working with Melanie all day. "Since Robert can't be here, there's no need for you to miss out on having somebody to help you."

"Oh…Gosh, that's really nice of you, Dr. Weaver," Melanie said, cringing on the inside. "I know you're really busy, so don't let me get in your way. I can always ask Dr. Carter or Dr. Lewis for help."

Kerry waved her hand dismissively and smiled. "Nonsense, I like helping med students. There's so much knowledge of ER medicine to pass on," she said lightly. "I may be able to make a decent ER doctor out of you yet."

Melanie frowned, the insult stinging her to the core. "Thanks," she replied curtly.

"It'll be nice to get to know you better, Ms. Hahn," Kerry continued, her smile increasing. "Robert likes to keep you to himself. It must feel rather isolating. Though, I have to admit, he's seemed in better spirits lately. Ever since taking you on as his med student. He must really enjoy educating you…"

"Dr. Romano has done an excellent job so far, I think," Melanie replied carefully. "I think having somebody else to focus on has given him purpose again. I can't imagine a surgeon as brilliant as he was would be able to handle his accident very well. He needs to do something important, and I suppose teaching others how to be a doctor is about the most important job there is."

"I couldn't agree more, Ms. Hahn," Kerry said, picking up a chart. "So, let's get started…"

Melanie didn't have a minute to herself all day. Dr. Weaver lectured her over everything and demonstrated things that she already knew how to do. She was a strict taskmaster, insisting on double-checking everything before signing off on it. "You can never be too thorough, Ms. Hahn, even if it takes a little more time," she said as they walked towards an exam room.

The day dragged on, and by the end, Melanie was completely exhausted. She realized that she liked it when Robert gave her more freedom. But not seeing him all day made her miss him terribly.

She decided to surprise him with dinner that night. He smiled when he opened the door and saw her standing on his porch with a bag of tacos and a couple beers for them. "I couldn't go a whole day without seeing you," she explained while walking into the kitchen and setting the food down on the counter. "So, how's the new bed?"

Robert smiled and accepted the plate she held out. "It's ready to be slept in," he said, taking a bite of a shrimp taco. "You want to stay and help me do the honors tonight?" he asked casually while Melanie set an opened bottle of beer in front of him.

"I'll stay in my room," she said. "I probably shouldn't drive after this." She held up her own bottle and took a sip.

"So, tell me about your day. Anything interesting happen?" Robert listened to her talk about working with Kerry all day and wondered if she'd let him sleep in her bed tonight. Maybe it would help take her mind off of Weaver for a while…"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that Weaver latched onto you all day. She's trying to get dirt on me. I'm sure you behaved admirably, though. She probably couldn't stand it!"

Melanie covered her mouth while laughing. "I tried to be a model student," she said before taking a bite of her veggie taco. "Hopefully she'll have good things to say about me when you get back tomorrow."

When the meal was over, Robert turned on the radio and they practiced dancing until Melanie got too tired to continue. "You had a long, hard day," he said while she sat down on the couch. She settled in against his chest and closed her eyes. She smiled when he started kissing her cheeks and massaging her shoulders with his good hand. "You just sit back and let me make everything better." He continued to rub her shoulders, but slowly inched his hand down further and further until he was tracing the outline of her bra with his fingertips.

"Robert!" Melanie cried, twisting around until she was facing him.

Robert smiled and pulled her over to kiss her. "I can't resist you," he whispered in her ear. "You bring me beer and tacos…You're a keeper for sure."

Melanie smiled and allowed him to kiss her for quite some time. She ran her fingers over his scalp again, which seemed to drive him crazy, for he shifted her around until he was on top of her. He looked down at her, trying to catch his breath. She gazed at him while reaching her hands out and caressing his chest. "Oh, so you can do it to me, but I can't do it to you," he said with a grin, "Is that it?" Melanie grabbed the material of his shirt and pulled him down on top of her. Instead of saying anything, she kissed him passionately. They stayed like this for some time until he pulled away from her again. "Unless you plan on going any further tonight, we need to stop," he said, sitting up and looking down at her. He was nearly in pain from wanting her so badly.

Melanie propped herself up on her elbows, so breathless she couldn't even speak. "Wha? Why?" She looked down at his lap and blushed. "Oh…I see. Well, maybe I should go to bed," she said, sighing. The overwhelming fear she'd experienced only a week ago had been replaced with a strong sense of need. She'd never felt anything like it before. It was all-consuming, and she didn't know long she'd be able to keep resisting Robert's advances. He was wearing her down. "To my bed," she clarified much to his disappointment, "alone."

Both of them spent a rather restless night in their respective bedrooms.

(SCENE)

Robert didn't tell Melanie why he spent most of the day with her on Friday, she only knew that he was a most attentive mentor that day. If he'd found it difficult to be around her at work before they'd moved things along in their relationship, he was finding it nearly impossible now. Every time she brushed against him or looked into his eyes was like torture, and he longed to retreat to his office just to get away from it for a while. But he couldn't, not without risking more problems from Weaver.

The more he thought about it, the more he wondered how long he could last for. He had until roughly Valentine's Day to act as Melanie's mentor during what was left of the ER rotation and her OR rotation. At the moment, Valentine's Day felt like an eternity away. Perhaps they should stop spending their weekends together. They could continue with dance lessons, but maybe getting their own spaces back would help them resist one another longer. When he looked across the room and saw Melanie smile and laugh at a joke Susan was making, he knew he couldn't do that. Melanie belonged with him, and that's all there was to it.

The only thing he could do was to try to get through each day as best he could. Try not to touch her. Try not to look into her eyes. Try to ignore the scent of her apple shampoo. At least she dressed modestly at work. He didn't have to worry about seeing too much of her skin and having it drive him insane. And at least he had traumas to look forward to. There was nothing that killed the mood more than a bleeding victim from some sort of horrifying accident.

By the time their shift ended, Robert was more than ready for the weekend. "No more kissing on the couch," Melanie declared as they walked into the kitchen that night. "I think we keep running into problems because of that…"

Robert frowned as he unpacked the bag of groceries he'd carried into the kitchen. "But it's more comfortable on the couch," he pouted.

"That's the problem! We're getting more comfortable around each other, and the couch is super comfortable…" she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed his backside playfully. "If we stay standing up, we can't go too far, right?"

Robert grinned and pressed his lips to hers. When she was distracted, he moved her backwards until she was pinned against the wall. He held onto her hip tightly with his hand while she pressed him as closely to her as he could go. "Sure, what could possibly happen while we're upright?" he growled in her ear as she kissed his collarbone.

After a few minutes, she pushed Robert away from her and walked to the kitchen table to look at the groceries they'd brought home with them. "Well…maybe we're not safe anywhere," she commented once she'd caught her breath. "What are we going to do?"

Robert shrugged his shoulders and joined her at the table. "I've been trying to figure that out since Thursday night," he said honestly. "The only thing I could think of was to stop spending the weekend together. But I really don't want that, do you?"

Melanie shook her head. "No…It's almost like we need a chaperone," she replied. "Maybe we should invite your mother over sometime."

Robert looked horrified at the suggestion. "God no," he blurted out, shaking his head emphatically. "We do _not_ need her around."

Melanie frowned and sat down in a chair at the table. "I thought you loved your mom," she said in a shocked tone.

"I do…It's just that she's better in small doses," Robert said, sitting down across from her. "Christmas and Mother's Day, those are the doses I prefer." He opened one of the bags, fished out a Hershey bar, ripped it opened and ate half of it in one bite. "I think we're just going to have to work on being disciplined," he concluded.

Melanie watched him eat the chocolate in two bites. Self discipline, she thought to herself. Yeah, we're in trouble…

They managed to behave themselves for the rest of the evening, and Melanie was too tired to do much, so she went to bed early. Robert stayed in his own room the whole night. As much as he wanted to sneak into her room, he managed not to. But when morning arrived and Melanie never emerged from her room, he decided to see if she was awake. His knock on the door went unanswered. He frowned and went downstairs to let Gretel outside.

A half hour later, he tried Melanie's door again, and still there was no answer. This time he went inside, hoping she was all right. She was half awake when he sat down on the bed to look at her. "Morning," he said quietly with a smile, reaching down and petting her cheek. "Are you ok?"

Melanie sighed and closed her eyes. "I just don't have any energy today," she murmured, trying to pull herself up to a sitting position and failing.

Robert reached his hand over and touched it to her forehead. "You don't feel hot," he said, turning on a light and looking at her face closely. "You're awfully pale, though." He helped pull her up so she could sit up properly. "Here, let me help you," he said as she tried to stand up to walk to the bathroom. He wrapped his arm around her waist and he knew she wasn't well when she didn't protest.

"You're so good to me," Melanie murmured as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders to steady herself while she walked. Robert stood outside the bathroom door and helped her back into the bed when she was done.

"I'm going to get you some breakfast," he said when she was settled again. "Maybe your blood sugar is too low." When he returned a while later, he found that Gretel had settled into the foot of the bed and was now keeping Melanie company. "See, I knew she'd start to like you eventually," he said, handing Melanie a plate with peanut butter toast and a banana on it. He crawled into the bed next to her and watched as she ate her breakfast.

"That definitely helped," Melanie declared when she'd finished, setting her plate down and resting her head on Robert's shoulder. "But I think I need to get some vitamins with iron in them. I think that's the problem."

"Oh, you think you're anemic? Would you like to go to a drug store?"

"If you don't mind. I need some other things too."

"Like?"

Melanie hesitated and blushed. "Do you want the sugar-coated answer or the honest truth?" she asked.

"Always the truth," he replied, wondering what could be so horrible that she'd want to hide it from him.

"Tampons…"

"Oh…Well…"

"I think that's why I'm a little anemic right now, because of –"

"You know, why don't we get ready to go now?" Robert interrupted her. The truth was a double-edged sword sometimes…But at least now he'd be able to keep track of her schedule and know when to be extra nice to her and stock his house with chocolate.

After a trip to the drug store, where Melanie stocked up on vitamins and feminine products and Robert wandered aimlessly, wondering when she'd be finished, they returned to his house. They settled onto the couch and watched TV and movies for the rest of the day until the dance lesson.

Robert spent much of the day wondering how to deal with a premenstrual woman. He didn't want to make her cry or yell at him. Was he supposed to hug her? Or maybe he wasn't supposed to touch her at all. Kissing was right out. In the end, he decided to take her lead. She was surprisingly cuddly, and even kissed him a few times, though not with as much energy as they'd had over the past several days. And when she cried during a Full House rerun, he wisely ignored it.

Melanie loved how attentive Robert was to her, even though he was acting quite awkwardly around her. After their dance lesson, when he'd seated himself at the far end of the couch, she crawled over and curled up against him. "I won't break, you know," she murmured in his ear.

Robert held her close and kissed her gently. "I'm just not used to being around women when they get…you know…" he replied sheepishly.

"Well, you're doing a great job so far," Melanie said with a smile.

On Sunday, Robert spent most of the day in his den while Melanie read cookbooks in the kitchen. She'd decided it was time to teach herself to cook. Gretel sat at her feet, lazily flicking her tail back and forth. "Thanksgiving is coming up, Gretel," Melanie said as she flipped through the pages of The Joy of Cooking. "What does your daddy usually do for the holiday? Does he go to his family? Or do they come here?"

"Daddy usually works on Thanksgiving so he doesn't have to spend it with his family," A voice called out, causing Melanie to jump in surprise. Robert walked into the room and sat down next to her. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to decide what to make for Thanksgiving," Melanie replied. "I hear they do a potluck in the ER. I want to bring something. Don't you want to bring something too?"

Robert shrugged his shoulders. "Thanksgiving isn't really my thing," he replied.

"But it's tradition! It's the best holiday besides Christmas," Melanie said in shocked tones. "I'm going to bring something, if nothing else."

"That sounds like a good plan," Robert replied before reaching out and taking her hand in his. "Listen, we need to talk about something…"

Melanie frowned and pushed her book aside. "Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I was talking with Weaver the other day, and she mentioned something I wanted to ask you about," Robert said. "I don't usually care what she says, but this was a little different." He squeezed her hand encouragingly. "Are you…dumbing yourself down in front of the other med students?" Ever since Kerry had told him about this, he'd been looking for the right time to approach Melanie about it. This seemed as good a time as any.

Melanie flinched as though she'd been hit, and her face reddened. "I didn't realize…" she said quietly.

"So it's true?" When she nodded her head, he furrowed his brow. "Whatever possessed you to do that? When you have the chance to show up a colleague, you take it!"

"It's not that simple, Robert…"

"Yes it is! Don't let them get to you. You're far superior to them; don't let them take that from you."

Melanie sighed and folded her arms. "This is something I've always done, Robert. Ever since I was little. I thought I had stopped, but it's going to take a little more time I think."

"What do you mean?" His eyes pierced hers as he scrutinized her words.

"Nobody likes a 'know-it-all'," she said slowly, "so I learned early on if I wanted to have any friends, that I couldn't be one. So, I stopped raising my hand in class and answered incorrectly when teachers called on me. I guess you could call it a coping mechanism. I did it all through middle school and high school. I thought by the time I got to college I wouldn't need to anymore, but apparently, college students don't like 'know-it-alls' either. I don't mean to do it now, I really don't. It's just…When it's something you've always done to get by, sometimes you forget after a while and you don't even realize you're doing it."

Robert sighed and looked down at Gretel for a second before squeezing Melanie's hand again. "You shouldn't have to change who you are to be accepted by others," he said angrily, hating all the people who had tormented her over the years. "You're wonderful the way you are."

Melanie's lower lip began to quiver and she burst into tears. "I am trying to stop!" she cried. "I really am!"

"I'm going to try and spend more time with you in the ER from now on," he said, letting go of her hand and reaching out to wipe away her tears.

"But how will you get your paperwork done?"

"I'll figure it out, don't worry," Robert replied. The solution was simple, he thought to himself. He hadn't been going to his physical therapy sessions since Halloween. He'd spend the time that he'd have been in therapy catching up with paperwork. He hadn't told Melanie that he'd stopped going to therapy, and he wasn't sure he was going to. He was allowed to keep secrets if he wanted to. "So, when you have the chance to show off what you know, I want you to do it. Learn to enjoy the looks of hatred and jealousy. It's a sign of respect."

Melanie smiled shyly and shrugged. "I still would like to just have friends," she replied quietly.

Robert couldn't understand this desire. He'd never had that many friends over the years, and he was just fine. Still, he had an irrational desire for Melanie to have whatever she wanted. If she was sad because of this, then he couldn't help but feel bad for her. "Susan is your friend. And Elizabeth is too. Two friends are plenty."

"You're my friend too, right?" Melanie asked, biting her lip.

Robert smiled slyly and ran his fingers up and down her arm. "I had hoped I was _more_ than a friend. Unless you make out with _all_ your friends…"

"Nope, just you," Melanie replied with a smile as she moved her chair closer to his. "Speaking of which…" She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Robert leaned in as well and they proceeded to kiss for several minutes before breaking away again. "So, would you like to help me pick out a Thanksgiving recipe? It's only two weeks away!"

Robert sighed and reached out for her cookbook. "All right, all right…The things I do for you…" he said as he opened the book.

(SCENE)

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, Melanie was curled up in her bed, reading The Joy of Cooking after a good night's sleep. She'd spent the last two weeks pouring over books and websites trying to find just the right recipe, and was still trying to decide what to make. Robert was sitting next to her in the bed, still in his pajamas. He was reading a medical journal, and Gretel sat at their feet, chewing on a toy.

"Still can't make up your mind?" Robert asked casually, turning a page in his journal. "It's not like you to be so indecisive."

"I just want to make sure I don't mess it up," Melanie said, biting her lip. "I don't have much practice cooking and I don't want to embarrass myself by bringing something that tastes horrible…"

Robert set his journal down and leaned over to kiss her reassuringly. "I'm sure whatever you make will be wonderful," he murmured before kissing her shoulder. "I'll be bringing the famous Romano sausage stuffing, so even if your stuff is terrible, we can still have something good to present to our colleagues."

Melanie gasped and set her book down before hitting him playfully on the arm. "Thanks for the vote of confidence!" she cried, laughing as he wrestled her down into the pillows.

"Tell me what you're thinking of making," Robert demanded before kissing her.

"I saw a good recipe for stuffed acorn squash," Melanie said when he pulled away from her.

"Sounds too healthy," he said, wrinkling his nose disapprovingly. "What else?" He leaned down and kissed the hollow of her neck.

"I saw a really interesting one for something called a turkey roulade. It's a fancy thing where you roll stuff into a turkey breast and bake it. But it's pretty complicated. First you have to pound the breast until it's really thin, but I don't know how you do that. Maybe a brick would work…"

"Oh, that's easy to do," Robert replied. "I have a meat mallet, that's what you'd use."

"Oh? That sounds kind of scary," Melanie replied.

"It's not really," Robert reassured her. "I can demonstrate for you, if you like."

"Ok, maybe tonight for dinner—" she started before he interrupted her.

"The best way to do it, is to get a good firm grip on the breasts," he said, with a grin before reaching out and clasping his good hand to her chest. "Then you take the meat mallet, and…" Melanie squealed and laughed as he leaned in to kiss her again.

When they finally broke away for a minute to catch their breath, he still had his hand on her and she didn't try to move it away. She ran her fingers over his, pressing his hand more tightly against her, and smiled. "Meat mallet, huh? Is _that_ what you call it?" she whispered into his ear, wrapping her leg around his suggestively.

Robert grinned and nipped her collarbone. "I've never actually referred to it as that," he replied, "But _you're_ welcome to refer to it however you wish." Melanie giggled, and within seconds, they were deeply embroiled in a wrestling-tickling-kissing battle that displaced Gretel from the bed and sent her running out of the room to escape.

After several minutes, Robert pinned Melanie down onto the bed again. "I am declaring myself the victor of this little battle," he growled. "And as the saying goes, 'To the victor, goes the spoils of war'." He kissed her passionately while she ran her fingertips over his scalp. She had quickly learned that nothing made him go crazy for her more than when she did that to him. He moved down and began to kiss her stomach, while tickling her with his good hand.

Melanie thrashed around until she was nearly halfway off the bed. "Ok, ok, you win!" she cried while trying to catch herself. "You win!" When he rolled off of her and came to rest on his back, she pulled herself back up onto the bed and settled in behind him. "Although I feel like I won, really," she said quietly. She propped herself up on her elbows, with her legs curled up behind her and her feet dangling in the air, and gazed lovingly down at Robert. With one hand, she reached down and traced her fingertips on his lips. "You have wonderful lips," she murmured while he kissed her fingertips. "Perfectly kissable." She leaned down and kissed him. She was briefly reminded of the upside-down kiss from the movie Cabaret, only they weren't in pre-World War Two Berlin, thankfully. When she pulled away, she continued to look into his eyes, and sighed. "Well, this has all been a most wonderful distraction from some pretty important work," she finally said before sitting up and fishing her cookbook from the floor where it had fallen. She sat back in the pillows and began to flip through the pages again.

Robert sat up as well and returned to his place next to her. "There's an even more important issue we have to settle first, though," he said seriously.

"Oh? What's that?" Melanie asked distractedly.

"Now that we've officially reached second base, does this mean I can feel you up whenever I want?"

Melanie turned and looked at him, her eyes wide. Instead of trying to come up with something witty to say in response, she threw her head back and began to shriek with laughter.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Robert replied, looking smug. With a smile, he picked up his journal and opened it again.

They spent the rest of the morning in bed, reading.


	14. Thanksgiving

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, Melanie and Robert had been working on multiple traumas all day long. Both of them were exhausted and the day was only half over. In spite of his best efforts to stay with Melanie longer, he had been called away to a meeting that he couldn't get out of. "Just try to stay out of trouble and out of Weaver's sights," he said before leaving the floor.

Melanie was walking towards the board to look for a patient when two EMTs wheeled a man on a gurney into the ER. She ran alongside them, looking at the man. "Benny! What happened to him?"

"We found him outside a liquor store, surrounded by bottles," one of the EMTs said as Susan joined them. "We scooped and ran."

The other EMT held out a plastic bag full of empty bottles of scotch and gin. "These were found around him," he said, handing the bag to Melanie.

Melanie started to panic as she looked at all the bottles. There was no way a man could survive drinking all that at one time. She had grown close to Benny over the past few months. He'd come to see her at least once a week for a variety of reasons. Everybody in the ER seemed to have at least one "regular", and Benny was hers. She had held out hope that he'd work on his problems, and she'd tried her best to get him into programs, but he would never go. It seemed to her that he didn't want help.

When they wheeled him into a trauma room and transferred him to the bed, the EMTs left, and Susan and Melanie started running tests on Benny. "His lips are turning blue, he's not getting enough oxygen," Melanie said, putting an oxygen mask on him.

Monitors started to go off. "He's in asystole," Chuny called out.

"No!" Melanie cried while climbing up onto the bed and straddling Benny's waist. "Beginning chest compressions," she said before starting CPR. "Get me an amp of epi!" she called out between breaths.

Susan finished putting an IV into Benny's arm and gave him the shot, hoping for the best, but knowing the outcome wouldn't be good. She waited for a couple minutes while Melanie continued chest compressions. Nothing changed on the heart monitor. She set up the defibrillator even though it wouldn't work. "Melanie, come down from there," she called out while charging the machine. When the younger woman had climbed down, she held out the paddles to her. "It's charged to 250," she informed her.

Melanie set the paddles against his chest, called out "Clear!" and pressed the buttons, sending currents of electricity coursing through Benny's body. They looked at the heart monitor and saw no change. They continued this pattern for a half hour, until Melanie thought her arms were going to fall off. She'd never done chest compressions for such a long period of time before.

Finally, Susan looked at the clock and shook her head. "He's been down at least forty minutes and there's been no change," she said quietly, looking at Melanie who was catching her breath after finishing compressions. "Check his eyes."

Melanie fished her light out of her breast pocket and flicked it on. She opened each eye and flashed the light over it. "They're fixed and dilated," she murmured, climbing down from the bed and frowning.

"You want to call it?" Susan asked quietly.

Melanie bit her lip and felt tears prick her eyes. "Time of death, 16:34," she said. She slipped the gloves off her hands and looked around, feeling completely overwhelmed. This was the first time she'd been unable to save a patient. The first time she'd called a time of death. She looked down at Benny, his face still and looking peaceful, and allowed the tears to fall from her eyes. She looked over at Susan, who was frowning and looked concerned. "What am I supposed to do now?" she asked the older woman, trying unsuccessfully to stifle her crying.

"Go take a break," Susan said quietly, reaching out and patting her on the hand. As Melanie trudged towards the door, Susan grabbed the plastic bag of bottles and handed it to her. "And get rid of these while you're at it, will you?"

Melanie took the bag and slowly walked to the entrance. She didn't put on her coat as she left the building.

As Robert left the meeting he'd been in, which had dragged on forever, he wondered what Melanie was doing. He was overwhelmed with a sense of needing to see her right away. With a frown, he quickened his pace, and hurried down the stairs to the ER. Instead of walking to the suture room, he turned the other way and walked out the exit. He found Melanie outside, sitting on the edge of the dumpster in the driveway. She was taking items out of a bag and hurling them against the wall where they smashed and fell into the dumpster. She didn't have a jacket on, and he was quickly reminded that he didn't either.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking up at her and noticing her tear-streaked face for the first time. "What happened?"

Melanie took the last item, which turned out to be a glass bottle, and looked down at it. "Benny died," she said curtly before tossing the bottle as hard as she could at the wall. A sob escaped her throat as the shards rained down into the dumpster. "I worked so hard on him! And he died!"

Robert sighed and closed his eyes. This was the first time she'd lost a patient she'd been close to. It wouldn't be easy. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her closely, but that wasn't something he could do here. "Why don't you come down from there?" he asked quietly, holding his hand out to help her. "It's freezing out here, let's go back inside."

Melanie didn't move for a minute, but finally turned around, accepted Robert's hand, and jumped down from the dumpster. "How did you know where I was?" she asked, sniffling.

Robert reached out and wiped away her tears with his hand. "I always know where you are," he replied with a sad smile, echoing her words to him just a few weeks ago. He kept his hand on her shoulder as they walked back into the ER. He dreaded what he'd have to say to Melanie to help her through this. Being a comforter wasn't his strong suit, and he wasn't able to physically console her in any way while at work. He walked her to the suture room and shut the doors, so they were in a quiet environment. "Tell me what happened," he said quietly, sitting down next to her on one of the examination tables.

Melanie explained in detail what she and Susan had gone through in trying to resuscitate Benny. She talked about all the times she'd seen Benny over the months, and how he'd been her first "regular". "I've never lost a patient before," she said. "I've been around patients who died, of course, but they were never really 'mine'. He was mine, and now he's gone." She began to cry again.

"Losing a patient is never easy," Robert finally said when her crying died down again. "Unfortunately it _is_ part of the job. Sometimes it's a large part of the job. You just have to find a way to get through it, because the other option is to let it weigh you down. You can't let it get to you like that. You just feel your sadness over it, and then you let it go, because there will always be another 'regular'. There will always be another tragic trauma rolling through the door. You will always care about the patients, Melanie. You will just learn not to let them in so much. It's the only way to get through this job." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't suppose that's too comforting," he said quietly.

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "No, not really," she said tonelessly. "But I understand. It's true; it is a part of the job. I just have to deal with it."

Robert squeezed her hand briefly before standing up. "Why don't you come over tonight?" he asked while walking to the door. "We could talk some more there." He smiled when she nodded her head.

After their shift, at his house, he wrapped his arms around Melanie and held her while she cried. He kissed her and whispered comforting words in her ear until she calmed down again. "You're so good to me," she whispered back before wiping her eyes and standing up to walk into the kitchen.

"What do you want for dinner?" she called out while peering into the refrigerator. "There's half a moldy pizza…A jar of something I can't identify but it has green fuzz all along the rim…Oh! Here's something good—eggs with an expiration date from three months ago. We could cook all this into some sort of omelet and give ourselves food poisoning!" She slammed the door shut and shook her head. "How can you even function like this, Robert?" she shouted angrily. "There's no food in your house! God, this is ridiculous!" She opened all the cupboards and slammed each one shut again in disgust.

In the living room, Robert rolled his eyes. He'd give her a few more minutes to slam out her grief and aggression before ordering dinner. When he heard the slamming stop and the crying start up again, he pulled out a Thai food menu and took out his phone to order their dinner.

The food arrived and he paid for it, Melanie didn't take any notice. When he walked into the kitchen with the bag of food, he saw her sitting on the floor, in the corner, her head buried in her arms. He sat down next to her and started taking cartons of food out of the bag. "Melanie, dinner's ready," he said quietly, holding out a carton of tofu curry to her. "One star, just like you like it."

Melanie sat up and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she sniffled while taking the carton from him. "I'm just a mess…"

Robert kissed her on the cheek. "You had a very bad day," he replied quietly. "You're entitled." He opened his carton of pad thai and reached into the bag for a plastic fork. They sat side-by-side and ate in silence.

When they were done, he put the rest of his pad thai into the fridge, and was surprised to see that Melanie had eaten all of her curry. "I eat when I'm upset," she said challengingly, waiting to see how he'd react.

Romano looked at her carefully before throwing the carton in the garbage can. "Good," he said casually, "You're getting too skinny anyway. I like a girl with a little meat on her bones."

That night, Robert went into Melanie's room to kiss her goodnight. She took his hand and tugged on it until he climbed into the bed next to her. "I don't want to be alone tonight," she whispered. "Will you stay with me?" Robert nodded his head and waited for her to curl up against him before wrapping his arm around her waist and hugging her tightly. Melanie fell asleep in minutes, and Robert not too long after her.

(SCENE)

By Wednesday, Melanie still hadn't decided what to bring to the potluck, but she was still sad from Benny's death, and didn't want to cook anything anymore. "Well, they're counting on you to bring something," Robert said as they worked in the suture room a few hours before the end of their shift. "Any either way, you have to help me with my stuffing. I can't make it all myself," he said.

Melanie sighed. "I know, and I'll help," she replied. "I just still don't know what to make…"

"I looked at the sign-up sheet," Robert said, "And nobody signed up for cranberry sauce yet."

Melanie thought about that for a while before nodding her head. "I'm sure the Joy of Cooking has a recipe for it," she said a minute later. "It can't be too complicated…"

When she walked over to the admit desk to sign up, several others were reading the list and commenting on it. "Ooh, Haleh's bringing her pecan pie again," Carter said with a grin.

"What are you bringing?" Tina asked Abby.

"My specialty: Stovetop Stuffing made in the microwave," she said with a laugh. "I'm not much of a cook."

"Dr. Romano signed up to bring sausage stuffing," Carter said, furrowing his brow. "Romano's coming? And he's bringing food? How can that be?"

"It must be a joke," Haleh quipped. "He wouldn't deign to lower himself to our level, would he?"

"Oh, but he is," Melanie replied, taking the list and adding her name to it. "He told me he wanted to set a good example for me."

"What a good mentor," Tina smirked.

"Oh, he is," Melanie said, narrowing her eyes and turning to face her. "He's the best."

Tina folded her arms and took a step towards her. "Really? Why is that? I'm sure it has nothing to do with the preferential treatment you get from him," she said. "Some of us actually have to work for our grades."

"All right, you two, get back to work," Dr. Weaver interrupted as she walked over to the board to cross names off. "I don't want to have to take disciplinary action against either of you, but I will if you can't get along enough to act like professionals. Or at least like adults."

Melanie handed the sign-up sheet to Dr. Carter, who had an amused look on his face, and grabbed a chart. She stormed off without a backward glance to the curtain area. Her patient had a case of salmonella poisoning from taste-testing uncooked turkey stuffing. By the time she was finished with him, the last thing she wanted to do was cook food. Or eat food. Ever again.

"So, what are you thinking for dinner tonight? We have to stop by the store for groceries, we could pick up something to eat too," Robert asked quietly after he found her in the suture room practicing stitches on a plastic arm. She refused to work on pig feet, finding them smelly and disgusting.

"Crackers and ginger ale," she replied with a frown. "I'm done with food. Again."

"Well we still have to make our stuff for tomorrow," Robert said, sitting down next to her. "Do you want to talk about what's going on? I heard you almost got into another fight with Ms. Smith."

Melanie shook her head and set her needle and thread down. "This has been the worst week ever," she said. "Why am I doing this to myself? Am I even in the right field? Do I really want to be a doctor? I can't even handle it when a patient dies and being around people who are smelly and sick put me right off food. I'm just the worst doctor ever!"

Robert tried not to smile as he listened to her tirade. He didn't want to upset her more. "Melanie…I understand that you're upset about losing Benny," he started, picking up the plastic arm and tapping it on the table. "I think part of the problem is that you're having to deal with failure for the first time. It isn't just that Benny died, it's that you couldn't save him." Melanie glared at him, her eyes flashing. She opened her mouth to speak but he continued on. "Now you're having a crisis of confidence, which is perfectly normal. You'll grow more confident with more experience and practice. Once you figure out a specialty to focus on, you'll see that you made the right choice. You are a good doctor; I would never have taken you on if I didn't see that in you." Melanie started to sniffle and Robert moved the plastic arm over to her face, using it to brush away her tears. "No more crying," he commanded.

Melanie tried to calm down and thought about Robert's words. Was she really more upset about failing? She'd always been good at everything she tried; it was easy to get used to. "I _am_ sad that Benny died…" she finally replied. "But I suppose I am also upset that I failed…What a horrible person that makes me! So selfish…"

Robert patted her on the shoulder with the plastic arm again . "No, it makes you normal," he replied. "We all go through these things. You're no different. In a couple years, you'll back on this moment and see that this was just a momentary lapse in confidence. Now," he said, standing up, putting the arm down and walking towards the door, "are you ready to go?"

Melanie nodded her head and joined him at the door. "Yes, let's go," she replied, smiling sheepishly at him. "Thanks, Doctor. I think I needed to hear that."

Robert smiled and nodded his head. "I'm glad it helped," he replied. "It's good to know that I can help with the emotional stuff. I was basically bullshitting my way through it…"

Melanie looked at him sidewise, and burst out laughing. They were walking past the admit desk and all the people standing there wondered what was so funny, but they never found out. It did lead to a massive speculation about how Melanie was able to laugh at Dr. Romano without getting into any sort of trouble.

Dr. Weaver was the most curious of all. She hadn't been able to get any information about Robert out of Melanie the day she'd worked with her. He'd obviously trained Melanie well on how to keep secrets. And there was only one kind of secret the Chief of Staff could have that was important enough to keep incredibly well-hidden. She was convinced more than ever, that he was romantically involved with Melanie, though she had no actual proof. She wondered how involved they were. As they walked onto the elevator, Robert placed his hand on the small of her back and led her through the doors, a smile on his face. Kerry narrowed her eyes. It was only a matter of time before she gathered enough proof, and then, she would take great pleasure in sending him off in disgrace.

(SCENE)

Melanie stood next to the stove, with a paring knife in one hand, and an Italian sausage in the other. "This is so gross!" she exclaimed while cutting into the sausage and squeezing the filling out into a frying pan. "You have to stir it in the pan, I can't handle the smell."

Robert grabbed a spatula and started pushing the meat around in the pan. "Keep cutting, we have eight more of those," he said, pointing to the bag next to Melanie. "And then there's the garlic that has to be peeled and cut into 1/8th inch slivers precisely. And then the bread needs to be cut into perfect cubes and toasted. It's going to take some time and you still have to make your cranberry sauce, so you'd better hurry up and get this done if you don't want to stay up all night long. And I can't go to bed if you're still here cooking, so let's get going. If I'm going to stay up all night with you, it sure as hell won't be spent cooking in the kitchen…Well, at least not cooking _food_…" He looked over and watched Melanie stab a sausage with the knife and cringed. "I can't watch you do that…"

Melanie smiled and laughed. "Sorry…If it helps, I would never do this to you," she said lightly, "unless you did something really horrible…"

"I will definitely keep that in mind."

The two sautéed and chopped and sliced for some time until the stuffing was completed. "It does look wonderful," Melanie admitted when she'd spooned it into a disposable aluminum pan.

Robert smiled and nodded in agreement. "It's the one of the two good things I got from my father," he said. "The man was generally a bastard, but he had a much better surname than my mother's, and an amazing sausage stuffing recipe passed down from my grandmother. So, I took both of those from him, and left it at that."

Melanie wrapped her arm around his waist and put her head on his shoulder. "You've never talked about him before," she murmured before kissing him on the cheek. "Is he still…around?"

"Last I heard, yes," Robert replied. "He and my mom divorced when I was twenty five and he moved to Vegas to foster his love of gambling. My mom stayed here in town, enjoying the house and the lovely divorce settlement, as well as a new boyfriend every month. I was in medical school by that time, so I didn't have to witness the train wreck."

Melanie hugged him tightly. He'd never opened up this much about his family before. "Sounds like we both have fun family histories," she said quietly.

Robert hugged her in return. "Thanksgiving, it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about family," he joked. "Let's get going on your cranberry sauce, shall we?" He kissed her for a minute before pulling away and walking to the fridge. "Did you find the recipe yet?"

Melanie opened the book on the counter and looked in the index. "There isn't one," she said with a frown. "I guess I can look one up online."

Robert looked at the bag of cranberries in his hand. "There's a recipe on the package," he informed her, holding it out to her. "Just use this one."

Melanie took it and read the recipe. "Sounds easy," she replied. "Let's get to it."

Once she had everything cooking on the stove, she turned to him and pressed her lips to his. She was standing in the corner of the counters beside the stove, and jumped up to sit on the counter. She reached down and cupped his face in her hands, kissing him while he let his hand wander not so aimlessly up to her chest.

She had just wrapped her legs around his torso and Robert was contemplating how to undo her bra with one hand, when they heard strange popping noises coming from behind them. "What's that?" she asked, pulling away from him for a moment to look around. "Oh! The berries are bursting. They're supposed to do that." She unwrapped herself from Robert and walked over to the stove. "Look how pretty they are."

"They're almost the prettiest thing in this room," Robert said, glancing at them for a second before looking back at her. "All right, let's get this done and then we can move on to more important business." He stepped back and let her get to work, adding sugar and orange juice. She stirred and tasted a bit before declaring it perfect. She poured it into a plastic container and left it in the fridge to chill overnight.

"Well, that's done," she said with a smile. "What's the important business?" Robert walked over to her and wrapped his arm behind her back, trying to feel for her bra. He slid his hand under her shirt and grappled with the clasps for a few seconds with no luck. "What are you doing?" Melanie asked, taking a step back.

"It's very important that I learn how to take your bra off," Robert explained seriously. "It's the mark of a good lover, you know."

"Well I think you're a very good lover, but you don't have to do that, I'm very capable of taking off my own bra." To demonstrate, she made a few deft moves that he could hardly even see, and before he knew it, she was holding her bra in her hands. "See?" She walked up to him, threw the bra on the kitchen table, and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Robert grinned and reached his hand up to grasp one of her breasts. She grinned in return and kissed him. "A very good lover," she whispered in his ear.

"Would you like to share a room tonight?" he asked as he walked her to her room a few minutes later.

"I don't think I can trust myself around you right now," Melanie replied. "I never thought resisting temptation would be so difficult. It's one thing to read about temptations, but another altogether to experience them." She kissed him for a minute before pulling away.

"I've never been anybody's temptation before," Robert replied incredulously. "I think I like it…" He pressed her against her bedroom door and kissed her heartily. He made sure to give her a sizable hickey that night. It was only fair after all. It was her turn now.

(SCENE)

The next morning, Melanie walked into the ER with her bowl of ruby red cranberry sauce, and a mark on her neck that was nearly the same color, which she hoped nobody would notice. As she set the bowl in the fridge in the lounge, Dr. Carter walked into the room. "Wow, wild night with your boyfriend last night, huh?" he asked in greeting, pointing to her neck, a grin on his face.

"Yeah…pretty wild," Melanie said, blushing as red as the mark on her neck.

"Who was wild?" Susan asked as she walked into the room to get a cup of coffee.

"Melanie and her boyfriend last night. Apparently they had quite a torrid evening," John said before Melanie could intervene.

Susan glanced over, saw the hickey, and burst into peals of laughter. "I guess Paul couldn't control himself, huh?" she said lightly, walking over to her and taking a close look at Melanie's neck. "He got you good, didn't he?"

Susan was still examining the younger woman's neck when Robert walked into the lounge with his pan of stuffing. She looked up at him and tried not to smile. "Good morning, Dr. Romano, and how are you today?" she asked casually, walking over and taking the pan from him so he could grab a cup of coffee.

"Just fine, thanks," Robert said, warningly. "Ready for the potluck and all that jazz." He left a minute later with his coffee and went to the admit desk to check out the board. There were already ten people on the board, and it was only seven in the morning. "Ahh, holidays," he murmured. The redeeming point of the day, was the fact that Kerry Weaver had the day off.

Melanie joined him at the desk after a few minutes. "So, Doctor, what looks good today?" she asked casually.

Robert glanced around and made sure nobody was near enough to hear them. "Besides you?" he murmured. "Most of the people today will be food poisoning victims. And perhaps the occasional loser in a family fist fight. Thanksgiving always brings out the best in people. But I think there might be a valid patient we can look into," he said, walking to the rack of charts and picking one out. "This man is complaining of leg cramps. That's mildly interesting at least."

Melanie approached the patient, who was sitting in the curtain area on a bed, with a polite smile on her face. "Good morning, what seems to be the problem?" she asked, standing next to him and putting gloves on.

The man was very aggressive in explaining his leg pain and the importance of Demerol for pain management. "There are many other pain medications out there we can try to treat your pain, that aren't so problematic," Melanie said, looking at his chart.

"No, you don't understand!" the man yelled. "I'm in pain! Demerol is the only thing that works!" He reached out to grab her arm, but Robert intervened before he could touch her.

"Don't you touch my med student! If you don't lie back and behave yourself, I'll put you in restraints," Robert growled, pushing Melanie out of the way. He turned, and ushered her back to the admit desk. "He can just sit there and cool off for a while," he said to her, trying to calm down.

"Doctor, it's all right. I'm all right," Melanie said quietly, wanting to hug him, though unable to. "He's just in pain, I'm sure that's why he's acting out so badly."

Robert frowned at her, astounded at her naivety. "Melanie, he's not in pain," he explained carefully. "He's a junkie. You could see it in his eyes, and on his face, he's going through the early stages of withdrawal and needs a fix."

"But maybe his leg really is hurting," she insisted, biting her lip.

Robert sighed and shook his head. "Melanie…You can't always believe what a patient tells you," he replied quietly. "They don't always tell the truth."

"But—"

"No more buts," Robert said firmly. "I don't want you going near him again. Junkies are dangerous. I'll let him sit there for another minute to calm down, and then I'll give him some ibuprofen and discharge him. Why don't you go handle one of the food poisoning cases?"

Melanie frowned and sighed before picking up a chart and walking away. Sometimes he was too protective of her. That was soon forgotten, however, when two traumas pulled in at the same time. The morning flew by in a blur of activity, and the next thing she knew, Santa Claus was rolling down Times Square in the parade on the TV in the corner of the ER.

"I guess Christmas is just around the corner now," she said to Michael Gallant with a smile as they stood in front of the TV.

Gallant looked out the window and pointed. "Hey, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," he quoted. It was starting to snow.

"Hope we don't get snowed in," Melanie replied. "I don't want to sleep here tonight."

"Oh, it's really starting to come down out there," A voice called out from the ER entrance.

Melanie turned to see who it was and smiled as Elizabeth walked over to them. Ella was in her arms, all bundled up for the cold weather. "Hello, Ella, what brings you here today?" she asked, taking the child out of her mother's arms and bouncing her.

"The nanny has the day off because of the holiday, and I was supposed to have the day off too, but I got called in on an emergency, so, here we are," Elizabeth said.

"Well we're having a potluck down here, why doesn't Ella join us? I'll look after her for you," Melanie said. "Ella, do you want to eat turkey today?"

"Yes!" Ella cried happily. Elizabeth kissed her daughter, thanked Melanie, and walked towards the elevator to go up to the OR. Robert joined the group by the TV. "Wobee! I miss you!" Ella said in greeting.

"I missed you too, Miss Ella," Robert said, amused. "Melanie, everybody's getting their food ready for the potluck, why don't we get ours ready too?" They walked into the lounge, but there were too many people preparing their food, so they left again with plans to come back later.

When they reached the doorway into the curtain area, they heard a man screaming and other people shouting. Melanie could see the man had a gun and clutched Ella tightly. The man was pointing it at Susan and screaming for something. She looked closely and saw it was the junkie she and Robert had taken care of earlier that morning. Robert was already in the room and without thinking, reached his hand out and grabbed Melanie's arm. He pushed her further out the door and around the corner. "Go to the elevator and get up to my office," he ordered her quietly. "Lock the door and do not open it until I come for you. And call the police."

Melanie remembered Robert's words when she'd first started off as his student, about obeying his orders without question. Her eyes were wide with fear, but she nodded her head and turned around to hurry off to the elevator, a clueless Ella in her arms, leaving him behind.

Robert's heart pounded as he saw the junkie pointing a gun at Susan's head and demand a Demerol shot. He was far enough away that the junkie couldn't see him. He hoped Melanie got through to the police quickly. Part of him wanted to run away and join her in his office. To stay there until it was all over and they were safe again. But another part of him was angry at the junkie for doing this. For putting Melanie, Ella, and his friends in danger. That part of him wanted to strangle the man. It was _that_ part that spurred him into action.

He slowly walked across the room until he was several feet from the junkie. "So you came back," he called out, trying to distract the junkie into lowering the gun.

The junkie whipped around, saw Robert, and scowled. "You! This is all your fault!" he cried out, moving the gun and pointing it at Robert. "You should have just given me the shot earlier! You didn't believe me when I said I was in pain!"

Robert took a deep breath and looked into the junkie's eyes. "Put the gun down and I'll get you your shot," he finally said calmly. The junkie was shaking from withdrawal, and slowly lowered the gun, but didn't drop it. Robert's heart still pounded and he took another deep breath. He glanced around and saw Lily standing by the doorway. "Lily, get this man a shot of Demerol," he said quietly, glancing over at the woman, who was looking at him with wide eyes. "A nice, big dose of Demerol," he said, looking into Lily's eyes, hoping she'd understand what he meant.

"Yes, Doctor," she replied in a whisper before scurrying off to get the medicine. She returned a couple minutes later with the needle filled with medication.

"Thank you, Lily, I'll take that," Robert said. "Why don't you go to the Lounge, and take Susan with you?" Lily walked over to a visibly-shaken Susan and led her away from the scene. Malik had been standing next to Susan. Robert turned to him and asked for assistance with administering the injection. Malik swabbed the junkie's arm with an alcohol wipe and held up his sleeve before Robert jabbed the needle into his arm.

The junkie took a deep, satisfied breath, and looked at his arm. "Thanks for nothing," he sneered before turning away and walking towards the exit. Robert let him walk out of the hospital before following slowly after him. Malik joined him. They stood at the entrance while the man walked slowly out of the ambulance bay. He came to a stop about halfway through, swayed for a few seconds, and collapsed in the snow, his gun flying through the air and settling next to the wall in a small snow drift.

Robert and Malik hurried out the door over to him and reached him just as several police officers arrived on the scene. "He's going to need another doctor," Robert growled to Malik, "because I'd probably break his neck if I got the chance." Malik ran and brought out a gurney, and together they got the junkie back into the ER, along with a strong police presence.

After everybody had made their statements to the police and life slowly returned to normal, the nurses and doctors in the ER were rightfully upset about the situation. There was talk of fighting for improved security measures, but Robert waved them off with his good hand. "I will take care of this, believe me," he said, anger making his voice shake in spite of his best effort not to. "This will not be happening again." With that, he turned and walked to the elevator to go to his office.

(SCENE)

Melanie ran out of the elevator, Ella in her arms, and unlocked Robert's door as quickly as she could. She shut and locked the door behind her, and set Ella on the floor. After putting a couple of toys in front of the child, she hurried to Robert's desk and picked up the phone. She made the call to 911, only to find out several others had already called and help was on the way. She felt relieved and hung up the phone feeling slightly better.

It felt like an eternity, sitting nervously, waiting to hear Robert knock on the door. After getting Ella settled in with a picture book, Melanie walked to the window and looked down into the ambulance bay. She could see several police cars across the street and around the corner, which also helped her feel better.

She watched with bated breath as a man slowly walked out into the ambulance bay from inside the ER. He had a gun in his hand, and about halfway to the street, he collapsed to the ground, his gun flying across the bay. A second later, Robert and Malik rushed out over to him, as did several police officers. Melanie's heart stopped as Malik and Robert began treating the junkie. He was put onto a gurney and heavily escorted back into the ER.

Relief flooded her as she turned around to look at Ella. She joined her on the floor and began to read the picture book to the child. It took nearly an hour for Robert to return to his office. He knocked on the door and Melanie quickly unlocked the door for him. He'd barely closed the door before she wrapped her arms around him and began to kiss his face. "I was so scared," she whispered in his ear. "I saw you out there; you're so brave to help him after what he did."

Robert held her tightly, burying his face in her hair for a minute and breathing in the familiar apple scent. He found it extremely comforting to be in her arms after his ordeal. "I'm a doctor, that's what we do," he said nonchalantly before kissing her.

Melanie could sense that he was putting on a brave face for her, but didn't press the subject. She watched as he let go of her and bent down to say hello to Ella. Ella stood up, smiled, and hugged him. Robert wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly for a moment. Ella patted his arm. "Wobee, I'm hungry!" she declared a minute later. Robert smiled and let go of her.

"Why don't you two go back downstairs to the potluck? There's plenty of security everywhere, so you'll be safe," he said, standing up and looking at Melanie as she picked up Ella. "I need to do some number-crunching for a while. I'll join you two later, ok?"

"All right," she said, looking at him carefully for a minute before leaving the office and closing the door behind her.

Everybody in the ER was shaken up, but they all seemed determined not to let the incident ruin the holiday. They ate heartily, laughed, and told stories in between treating patients.

Melanie got a plate of food for Ella, but had to help a patient with a foot lac before she could feed her. Dr. Carter, who was on a break, volunteered to look after Ella while she was gone. "So, Ella, how was your day today?" John asked, sitting down next to her in the lounge and cutting her turkey into small pieces.

"Melly and me sitted in Wobee's office," Ella said before taking a bite of sweet potato casserole.

"Did anything interesting happen when you were there?"

Ella nodded her head and stuck an olive on her finger. "Melly and Wobee kissed," she shared.

Haleh was sitting at the table with them and nearly spat out her mashed potatoes. "I knew it!" she declared triumphantly.

"What?" John asked incredulously. "They were kissing? Are you sure?"

Ella nodded solemnly and popped the olive into her mouth.

John looked at Haleh, his eyes round. "You don't think…She had a hickey when she came in here today…" he said slowly. "And he had one a couple weeks ago…Oh God, it's true, isn't it!"

Haleh nodded her head. "All that talk of her boyfriend Paul…He's a fake. She was trying to throw us off," she declared knowingly.

John wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "I don't see what she sees in a jerk like him. Unless she enjoys being yelled at…"

"Wobee nice," Ella said with a smile.

Melanie came back into the room while John was looking at Ella skeptically. He turned to look at Melanie, shaking his head slowly. "What?" she asked curiously as she sat down next to Ella.

John smiled slyly. "Haleh and I were just discussing your boyfriend Paul," he replied. "Or should I say, Robert…"

Melanie blushed and opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out.

Haleh reached out and patted her hand. "Don't worry, child, we won't tell anybody," she reassured her. "We will, however, giggle inappropriately whenever we see you two together."

"Med students and doctors, it's old news," John added with a shrug. "I'm hardly one to call anybody on it."

"How did you…" Melanie asked. When Haleh pointed to Ella, Melanie frowned. There was no use yelling at a two year old. It was too late now anyway.

"What I want to know is, why Romano?" John asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

Melanie blushed again, but smiled. "He's not always so horrible, you know," she said quietly.

"Good for you," Halen said with a smile. "And good for Romano too. Maybe some happiness is just what that man needs."

"Thanks," Melanie murmured. "Could you two please keep this to yourselves? If Weaver finds out…"

"She'll have his head on a platter and his job by the end of the day," Haleh said, shaking her head. "Don't worry, she won't find out from either of us. Though you may want to keep the baby away from her."

Melanie nodded in agreement. "Haleh, you are a wise woman," she said before reaching out and tousling Ella's hair. "What a day…" She wondered how Robert would take it when she informed him they'd been outed by a two year old. It probably wouldn't be very fun, but she had to tell him. She'd wait until tonight. Over the phone, preferably.

(SCENE)

Melanie's plan to tell Robert over the phone was thwarted when he asked her to go home with him that night. She couldn't say no, he looked like he needed a hug so badly that she immediately said yes.

Robert thought about the day as she drove them home that night. It was amazing what facing one's mortality did to show a person what he truly wanted in life. Problems that seemed insurmountable yesterday seemed trivial today. Goals he wanted to achieve before seemed even more important than ever now. The things and people he cared about most were vital to him now.

When he and Melanie were in the house, he was overcome with a sense of love for her. It was the feeling in the pit of his stomach that threatened to overwhelm all his good sense. The feelings he'd had for Elizabeth had been nothing compared to this. He wrapped Melanie in a tight embrace, and held her for several minutes, saying nothing and kissing her cheeks while she cried quietly. After a while, he began to whisper comforting words in her ear, reassuring her that they were safe now.

"Robert, I was so scared today," she said again, after she had managed to stop crying. "But you were such a hero…"

Robert wasn't going to tell her why he'd done what he'd done. It wasn't something he could put into words. He hadn't thought about his own safety while confronting the junkie, he'd only thought about hers. He wrapped his hand around the base of her neck, and leaned in to kiss her gently. After a minute, he broke away from her and pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. "I love you," he whispered.

Melanie's heart started to pound and she felt tears fill her eyes. She threw herself against him and started crying again. She was completely overwhelmed from all the events of the day, and this was the tipping point. Robert held onto her, rocking her and kissing her forehead while she cried on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm crying," she wailed after a few minutes. "I'm really happy, I promise."

Finally, she stopped crying, but stayed in his arms. She remembered about what she had to tell Robert, and cringed at the thought of ruining this moment, but it had to be done. She cleared her throat and looked into his eyes for a few seconds before speaking. "Robert…something happened while you were in your office this afternoon," she said slowly.

Robert pulled away to stand in front of her, his hand on his hip in a defensive pose. "What happened?" he asked sharply.

Melanie took a deep breath to calm herself before replying. "Carter and Haleh found out about us," she said, biting her lip and looking at the floor.

Robert's hand moved from his hip to his forehead as he began to rub his temples. "How?" he asked quietly.

"Ella has a big mouth," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "For what it's worth, neither of them cares and they promised to keep it to themselves. They promised not to tell Weaver."

Robert's shoulders slumped and he rubbed the back of his neck. Did it even matter anymore? All he knew was that he was exhausted. His mind couldn't even process anything right now. He'd spent all afternoon looking at the hospital's budget to find places to get the money to pay for metal detectors and other security measures that were long overdue in the ER. He'd been surprised that Kerry had never approached him before about it, but assumed she hadn't wanted to spend her entire budget on it. But he'd decided that since the ER was a major thoroughfare to the rest of the entire hospital, that the cost should be shared by everybody. It had taken hours to manage, but in the end, nobody was going to lose their job. Sacrifices would be made, however. They'd have to drink generic coffee now, and gone were the days of two-ply toilet paper, among other things.

Perhaps the greatest sacrifice had been his own, for he had taken a ten percent pay cut to cover the rest of the costs. It was a small sacrifice in exchange for Melanie's safety and his peace of mind. The thought that she and Ella had been put in danger killed him. Knowing that Melanie would be safe at work now more than made up for the financial loss. Besides, as Chief of Staff, he was the leader. It was his duty to take the brunt, when necessary.

Finally, he sighed and embraced her. "Everything will be all right," he said quietly. And when she started to kiss him, he let all the stress of the day melt away, and all he could think about what her.

He had no idea how they ended up on the couch, or how her bra ended up in his hand, but he didn't stop to think about it. Melanie didn't seem to be restraining herself tonight, and before he knew it, she was straddling him. He smiled and slipped his hand under her shirt. She kissed him and soon they were lost in their actions.

Some time later, they pulled apart and looked at each other. Robert looked down at himself and shook his head. Melanie smiled shyly and leaned over to kiss him gently.

That night, when Robert walked Melanie to her door, they kissed for a while before pulling away. "I'm thankful for you, you know," she said with a smile.

"What?"

"In my family, we always say what we're most thankful for on Thanksgiving," she explained. "I'm thankful for you."

Robert smiled. "I'm thankful for you too," he replied. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go take a shower…"

"Me too," Melanie said, opening the door to her room. When he walked in after her, she gently pushed him back outside. "You go to your own shower!" she said, pointing to his room. Robert rolled his eyes and walked down the hall. He really would wear her down one of these days. He had faith in himself.


	15. The Decision

A/N: I tried to click the link to respond to my review this morning but it wouldn't work, so I'm going to reply here. To Neuronurse, thank you for the lovely review! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story so far. And you're just in time for the next exciting installment! Welcome aboard!

-Foodie

The next week passed blissfully uneventfully, with only the occasional trauma to deal with at work. Installation of the metal detectors and security glass to create a separated waiting area, and the hiring of several new security guards took place with little trouble. Dr. Anspaugh and the board of directors fully approved the budget alterations, even going so far as to commend Robert for making such a valiant sacrifice.

The ER staff was grateful as well, and began to look at him in a new light, much to Kerry Weaver's chagrin. Every time she heard a complaint about why it had taken so long and such a dramatic event to bring about this necessary change, she wanted to scream. They didn't say it outright, but she knew they were looking at her as the villain in all of this. This whole situation made her look bad, and looking bad was something she abhorred more than anything else.

Robert enjoyed Kerry's misery immensely. He made sure to spend extra time at the admit desk whenever he saw her there, just to revel in it. He'd never been the hero before and he was truly enjoying it to the fullest. Outside of work, Melanie continued to treat him like her own personal hero, which he didn't think he'd ever get tired of. It more than made up for the financial loss he was about to start feeling.

He also enjoyed the fact that Carter and Haleh were true to their words and never revealed to anybody else what they had accidentally found out. Although they did give him knowing looks at every possible occasion.

Once, in the elevator, he and Haleh were taking a patient up to the OR, and she couldn't help smiling at Robert. Robert sighed and rolled his eyes. "What?" he demanded.

Haleh shrugged her shoulders. "I was just envisioning you two together, that's all," she said nonchalantly. "You're very adorable with her."

Robert took a deep breath and frowned. "I'm thrilled that we can be the 'adorable' couple for you," he replied curtly. "I have no other goal in life than to be adorable." Haleh continued to smile until they left the elevator. He took the stairs back down just to avoid her.

(SCENE)

The first weekend of December, Melanie spent at Robert's house, as usual. They were having the first big snow of the season, and she was thrilled. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of all this," she said with a grin. They stood outside in the backyard while Gretel walked around looking for a good spot to do her business. Melanie walked over to the hammock tied between two trees, and lay down in it. Robert gingerly lay down next to her, and together they looked up at the sky, watching as the flakes fluttered down onto them.

"I could wrap up in a blanket and stay here with you all day," Melanie said, moving closer to Robert and laying her head on his shoulder.

"We can do that inside," Robert offered. "Where it's nice and warm and _not_ snowing on us…We could make hot chocolate too…"

Melanie wrapped her arm over his chest and hugged him. "You know what else we need to do? We need to plan the decorations for your house and office now that Christmas is coming."

Robert wrinkled his nose. "I don't usually decorate for the holidays," he replied. "I'm not really the decorating type."

Melanie gasped. "No decorations for Christmas? But it's tradition! How can you enjoy Christmas with no tree or stockings or candy canes?"

Robert shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really a Christmas person," he confessed. "Christmas is for children and families."

"But…but…" Melanie had never encountered somebody who didn't like the holiday before.

Robert could tell that he wasn't too far away from making her cry, and decided to appease her. "Tell you what," he said slowly, "You can decorate your room and the living room, how's that?"

"And your office at the hospital?"

"How about a wreath for the door? The office needs to be professional at all times," he replied.

Melanie considered this before nodding her head. "Oh this is going to be so much fun!" she cried. "We should go shopping today for stuff while the good stuff's still there. We should make a list. Do you have any ornaments?" When he shook his head, she continued. "We'll need a tree and a tree stand and a tree skirt and ornaments…" Robert sighed and closed his eyes while she continued with her list. "Oh, and you'll have to get a Christmas stocking for Gretel and one for yourself and put them on the mantel. We can go to the fabric store and buy puff paint and write your names on them! Oh! This is going to be so much fun! And I need to start thinking about cookies and of course what to get you for Christmas."

"I think you're Christmas present enough," Robert replied.

"But I have to get you something…"

"No, I know what I want," he said, grinning slyly. "I want you, wrapped up in ribbon, and a couple of strategically-placed bows, and nothing else. And then I'll take you up to my bedroom and unwrap you. And then I'll…" he whispered in her ear the things he wanted to do to her.

"Robert!" she cried a minute later. "You're so naughty!" When he grinned wickedly, she continued, "I love it!"

He leaned in to kiss her and noted how cold her face was. "You're freezing," he declared, sitting up and carefully getting out of the hammock. "Let's go back inside," he said, holding out his hand to help her. They walked back into the house, hand-in-hand, Gretel hurrying behind them.

(SCENE)

Several hours and stores later, Melanie was equipped with four bags of decorations. She was in the living room listening to Christmas music on the radio and Robert was tucked away in his office researching the latest version of AESOP to see how far it had come since he'd used it several years ago. He'd forgotten how exciting robotics was and how much he'd loved being a part of the research. It had taken him all over Europe, not a bad life at all. There were so many changes now, though. The world of mechanics and electronics changed so quickly that even a few years could mean several steps in the evolutionary process.

He was reading the latest on the hemo-aid study he'd participated in years ago, when Melanie called out to him from the living room. He sighed, put down his mug of cocoa, and got up to see what she wanted.

Melanie was standing on a wooden chair next to the Christmas tree when he entered the living room. "You have to put up at least one ornament," she informed him with a smile. She pointed to the box on the coffee table. "This is your tree, and your house, you have to participate even just a little bit."

Robert walked over to her and looked at the tree. They'd purchased a seven-foot-tall artificial tree after he'd vetoed a real one due to fears of sap and falling needles. It looked quite realistic, though, and had lights already on it, which saved them a step. Melanie had put gold ball ornaments all over the tree, and was now putting ornaments of all shapes and sizes around them. "You're doing a wonderful job," he declared, taking the opportunity to run his fingers up and down her leg, causing her to shiver. "Why do you need me to do it? I'll probably put it in the wrong place." He moved his hand up her leg, under her skirt, and grasped her backside until she reached down and swatted at his arm.

"Robert! This is decorating time, not fondling time," she scolded lightly before jumping down from the chair.

"Why can't it be both?" he asked, grinning and stepping closer to her. "Why can't you decorate and I fondle? I think that's an appropriate division of labor. I think that should be our new Christmas tradition." To help make his point, he reached out and slipped his hand up her sweater to run his finger over her bra.

"What am I going to do with you?" Melanie asked, putting her hands on her hips and doing her best to frown, though not very successfully.

"There's so many ways I could answer that question," he murmured quietly, leaning in to kiss her. He kept taking steps forward, forcing her to step back until she was against the couch and couldn't go any further. She fell back onto the couch, and Robert settled in on top of her. "I'm thinking such lustful thoughts about you right now," he whispered in her ear.

Melanie grinned and kissed him. "I bet they aren't as lustful as the thoughts I'm having about you right now," she replied.

"Oh? Do tell," he said while she ran her hands up and down his chest and stomach. "And feel free to be as descriptive and use as many dirty words as you like."

She was quiet for a moment, trying to put her thoughts into words. Finally, she spoke in barely more than a whisper. "I really want to see what you look like naked," she said, blushing. "And sometime I want to take a bubble bath with you."

Robert squeezed her hand encouragingly. "That's good stuff," he said. "Both of those things can be easily arranged if you just say the word." He wondered why she had such innocent fantasies. Just how inexperienced was she? He couldn't imagine a girl as beautiful as Melanie being a virgin at her age, but maybe she was. "Anything else?"

Melanie bit her lip and looked away from him. "Sometimes I think about what it will be like when we make love," she said quietly. "What it will feel like. Will it be scary? Will it hurt? Will it be magical?"

Robert pulled her into an embrace and she sat with her ear pressed to his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating steadily. He hoped it wouldn't be scary or painful. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain. He was sad that his arm was in the way of things, because it would be so easy to take her to his room right now and ease all her fears, but he couldn't. For the first time, he wished his arm was gone. It was causing him nothing but trouble. He was scared to be with her just as much as she was scared to be with him. What if he hurt his arm while they were making love? Or what if it just got in the way and he wasn't able to please her the way she deserved? As much as his body was ready to be with her, his mind wasn't.

"Let's aim for magical," he said quietly, kissing her on the cheek.

Melanie stayed there for another minute before pulling away and standing up. "Can we please go back to decorating? I want to put the star on top of the tree," she said quietly.

Robert stayed on the couch and watched as she put the finishing touches on the tree. He looked around the room for the first time and took in all the new items she'd put up. There was now an Advent wreath on the coffee table. There were red and green candles in it. Holly boughs had been put up on various shelves and tables around the room, and soft white Christmas lights were strung around the windows. The room looked cozy and homey and utterly feminine. He felt like a visitor in his own house.

"You still have to put up at least one ornament," Melanie demanded, holding out a delicate glass icicle-shaped ornament to him. "Just put it anywhere."

Robert sighed and stood up. He walked over to her and took the ornament from her hand and started to look around for a good place to put it. There were already a lot of ornaments dotting the tree, but he managed to find a place. He stood back and admired his handiwork. "Not bad," he said, nodding in approval. "Are you doing to decorate your room next?"

"I thought I'd wait till after the dance lesson," she replied.

That night, they waltzed and tangoed while snow continued to fall outside. By the time they were done, there were several inches on the ground. Robert insisted on heading to the grocery store to stock up on supplies before going home. "You never know," he said as they filled their cart full of food. They picked up sandwiches at the deli for dinner and ate them while sitting on the window seat and watching the snow fall.

When they were finished, Melanie took the rest of her decorations up to her room and spent the remainder of the evening decorating while Robert sat on the bed and watched her. She seemed completely happy, talking to him while putting her own touches around the room. They talked about their family Christmas traditions, and what they liked and didn't like about the season.

"Are you going home?" Robert asked casually while reaching out and grabbing a spear of mistletoe from the pile of decorations.

Melanie was carefully standing on a chair and taping up a strand of white icicle lights around the windows. She didn't turn to look at him when she responded, so she didn't see him slip the mistletoe into his belt buckle. "No, I haven't been home since I came out here," she replied. "My mom made me promise not to because she didn't want me to get homesick. And since I'm such a homebody, she figured I wouldn't want to leave again if I visited."

"Oh, that's a shame," Robert said, frowning. "You'll be here all alone at Christmas…"

"What are you going to be doing? Working?"

"No, I'll be here, with my mother. She usually spends Christmas day with me and the day after at my brother's house," he explained.

"You don't get together with him?"

Robert was silent for a moment before responding. "My brother and I don't get along very well," he said tonelessly. "We're very different people."

Melanie frowned. "That's too bad," she replied.

Robert looked up at her. She'd told him all about her family before. How she was the youngest. How her brother was a mechanic and her sister had married right out of high school. Between the two siblings there were already seven children. Melanie undoubtedly felt a lot of pressure to contribute to the family gene pool as well. Maybe it was good that her mother had told her not to come home. Melanie had the chance to make something of her life, and settling down back in Astoria wasn't the way to go about doing it.

"Would you like to join me and my mother for Christmas?" he asked, his heart pounding at the thought of introducing Melanie to his mother. He hadn't told his mother about her yet, and wasn't sure how she'd take it.

Melanie stepped down from the chair and walked over to kiss him. "I'd love to," she murmured, also thinking about the implications of meeting Robert's mother. She walked back to sift through her decorations, and frowned. "Where did the mistletoe go? It was right here," she said, glancing around the room and not seeing it.

Robert cleared his throat and smiled. "I don't know, I thought I saw it here earlier…" he replied, sounding puzzled.

Melanie looked up at him and saw the mistletoe in his belt for the first time. "Robert!" she cried. "I was going to hang that from the ceiling!"

"I thought this was a much better place for it," he replied casually.

She frowned and put her hands on her hips. "I'm not going to kiss you there," she declared, pointing at his waist. "At least not yet."

Robert grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, it was worth a shot," he replied, leaning back into the pillows.

Melanie walked over and reached her hand out to grab the mistletoe. She allowed her hand to linger for a few seconds before moving it away again. Robert smiled and reached out his hand to clasp hers. He pressed her hand against him and whispered reassuringly to her when she tried to pull away. After a few seconds, he let go and reached out to caress her cheek while she kept her hand where it was. They leaned in to kiss and Melanie moved around until she was seated on his lap, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"You have no idea what you do to me, do you?" Robert growled in her ear.

"I would imagine it's quite similar to what you do to me," she murmured in return.

Robert moved her around until he was on top of her. Melanie was breathless and reached her hand down to grasp him again while he kissed her breasts. He thrust his hips involuntarily and cried out from the sensation of her touch. She continued to stroke him, though his clothes, until he rolled off of her and hurried out of the room, leaving her alone, feeling embarrassed.

A few minutes later, she stood up from the bed as well and returned to her decorations. Robert came back into the room a little while later, wearing his pajama bottoms and nothing else. Melanie felt her stomach flutter as she looked at him. He didn't have his brace on and she could see the scar on the left arm which hung uselessly at his side. "Is everything ok?" she asked quietly while taping a holly bough on the windowsill. Robert nodded once, not looking at her. "Would you like to sleep in here tonight?" She sounded hopeful. Robert nodded again and she smiled. "Let me go change and get ready for bed." He sat down on the bed while she went into her bathroom and put on her pajamas. She'd learned from the couple times they'd shared her bed that he kept her pretty warm through the night, so she put on a pair of blue flannel shorts and a purple tank top with spaghetti straps.

Robert had turned off the lights and gotten into the bed by the time she was done. He'd kept the icicle lights on, so she could find her way around the room. Melanie smiled and slid into the bed, next to him. She snuggled against him, laying her cheek on his bare chest and loved the feeling of his strong, muscular arm embracing her. They talked long into the night about their favorite Christmas memories of their childhood, until they drifted off to sleep, the lights enveloping them in their gentle glow.

(SCENE)

Sunday was a lovely day for the happy couple. Any time Robert woke up with Melanie clinging to him, he knew it was bound to be a good day. They opened the drapes and looked out the windows to see at least five inches of snow covering everything in the backyard. "A perfect day for a roast chicken dinner," Melanie declared with a smile. She vetoed Robert's idea for the first ever "Semi-Annual Get Naked Day," stating that it would be dangerous to cook in the nude.

"What about 'Naked Lounging in Bed for a While' instead? You have to admit, that's a good compromise," he said, looking hopeful.

Melanie laughed lightly before biting her lip. It was tempting.

Robert took her hesitation as a good sign. "You know you want to…" he said, wriggling his eyebrows. "We can get under the covers and just…see what happens."

Melanie didn't know what was coming over her, but she felt reckless and impulsive, things she wasn't usually known for. Before she could talk herself out of it, she dove back into her bed and buried herself under the sheets. Slowly, she removed her tank top, then the shorts, and finally her underwear. When she was done, she poked her head out and grinned at Robert, who was watching her curiously. She tossed each garment at him, laughing all the while. He stood, motionless, in front of the bed, mesmerized by her actions. "I'm naked all alone here," she pouted. "It's time for you to put up or shut up."

Robert's jaw dropped open and he shook his head incredulously. Slowly he untied his pajama bottoms, slid into bed next to her and slipped them off, throwing them, and then his boxers, on top of her clothes on the floor. "So, now what?" he asked nervously.

Melanie slid back under the sheets and looked at his naked form for the first time. Her heart pounded and she wanted more than anything to run her hands up and down his body, but she didn't. She kept her hands to herself.

She was quiet for so long that Robert didn't know if she was all right or not. "Melanie? Is everything ok?" he called out to her.

Melanie resurfaced and pressed herself against him, much to his delight. "Oh yeah," she replied with a grin before kissing him with great passion.

Robert loved the feel of her body against his. She was incredibly soft as he learned while running his fingers up and down her skin. She pressed him down into the pillows and kissed him, not stopping him from touching her wherever he wanted to. He loved how powerful he felt by making her gasp or moan.

After several minutes, she was breathless, and pulled away from him. She sat up, which allowed him a full view of her upper body for the first time. He knew he'd never seen a more beautiful sight before. "Unless you want to go further, we need to stop," she gasped, mirroring what he'd said to her once before.

Robert sat up as well and tried to catch his breath. He looked at her and never wanted the morning to end. He wanted to stay there, like this with her, forever. He wondered if three months was too early to know that this was the woman he wanted to marry. He'd known it all along, really, but he was ready to admit it to himself now. He did want to go further, but now wasn't the right time for it. He wanted their first time to be as magical as she was dreaming it would be.

"What are you doing Christmas Eve?" he asked suddenly.

Melanie furrowed her brow and turned to look at him. He reached out and ran his fingertips over her smooth skin. "Not sure yet, why?" she asked, leaning in to his touches.

"Each year there's a bit of a party I like to go to," he said slowly. "The Surgeon's Society Gala. You'll have just finished your ER rotation and it would be a good way to get to know some of the surgeons before your OR rotation. I'd love for you to be my date, though of course it couldn't appear to be a date…"

"Oh…" Melanie said, feeling flustered at the thought of dancing and galas. "I would have to have a dress, I don't have a dress. But it would be wonderful to dance with you." She threw herself into his arms.

"I'll buy you a dress," he murmured in her ear. "Whatever kind of dress you want." As he held Melanie, continuing to enjoy the softness of her skin, he decided that he would make love to her on Christmas Eve after the gala. And it would be magical.

(SCENE)

Later that day, once they had dressed and gone downstairs, Melanie began working on the chicken dinner she'd promised Robert while he went outside with Gretel. "So she can't steal the chicken again," he explained while wrapping a scarf around his neck. Melanie put on her frilly apron and set to work making dinner.

While Robert was outside with the dog, he enjoyed looking at all the snow. The flakes had stopped falling, but it was a true winter wonderland. He looked back at the house, saw Melanie at work in the kitchen, and smiled. As he walked around the yard, he thought about what to get her for Christmas. Jewelry maybe? He didn't think she had much, or at least he'd never seen her wear anything noteworthy. Perhaps a nice bracelet or a pair of earrings would suit her. He didn't want to get her a ring, because he didn't know her size.

But jewelry wasn't enough. He wanted to give her more than that. He recalled her talking about one of her favorite Christmas memories the other night. She and her family had driven from Astoria all the way up to Seattle for a weekend getaway. While there they'd gone to the Nutcracker ballet which she claimed had been the most amazing experience of her life. He could take her to see the Nutcracker here in town. They did it every Christmas.

And then of course there was the matter of the dress she'd need for the gala. He'd have to go shopping with her next weekend, and while he hated the mall and clothes shopping, he'd do it for her. He wanted her to look beautiful. He wanted her to dazzle everybody who saw her. He knew she'd want something conservative, so it was bound to be somewhat of a battle of wills, but he had faith in his ability to win her over to his way of thinking. And while they were out shopping, perhaps he'd be able to slip out to a jewelry store and look at bracelets.

Melanie spent hours preparing Robert's dinner. She peeled and chopped the potatoes meticulously, trimmed and steamed green beans, bravely roasted the chicken, and even made gravy from scratch while the potatoes boiled. She also baked a chocolate cake, which she found to be much easier than cooking. It was fascinating to think about all the science and chemical reactions involved in something as simple as dessert.

Robert kept coming into the room to try and sneak a taste of anything he could get his hand on. "No more stealing food!" Melanie cried, slapping his hand away from the bowl of mashed potatoes. He stole a kiss from her instead before retreating from the room.

At long last, dinner was ready. Melanie took off her apron and carried the plates and bowls out to the dining room and set them down on the table. She made Robert sit at the head of the table and served him with a nervous smile on her face. When his plate was full, she dished herself up green beans, mashed potatoes, and salad. They began to eat in silence, Melanie glancing over at Robert every few seconds. "Well?" she finally asked after a few minutes.

Robert set his fork down, wiped his mouth off with his napkin, and took a sip of wine before leaning over and kissing her rather passionately. "This is the best roast chicken I've ever had in my entire life," he declared with a smile when he pulled away from her.

"Oh!" Melanie cried excitedly. "Oh, I'm so glad! I was so nervous."

"I think you're going to be a fantastic cook, if you keep practicing,' Robert said. "I will happily be your guinea pig." They talked enthusiastically through the rest of the meal.

Robert was just as impressed with Melanie's chocolate cake. He ate two slices and was going for a third when she cut him off. "Too much cake is bad for you," she said while clearing the plates out of the dining room.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," he called out to her. "There's no such thing as too much cake."

Melanie walked back into the room and over to him. She sat on his lap and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "This has been such a wonderful weekend," she said quietly before leaning in to kiss him. "I think after our naked morning, I might just be ready for that co-ed shower soon…"

"Something to look forward to next weekend," Robert replied, grinning. "Maybe after we get done with dress shopping and our dance lesson."

"Sounds like a wonderful plan to me."

(SCENE)

The next week passed quickly and as uneventfully as the previous week, with the exception of one moment that would change Robert's life forever. He had left Melanie in the ER, practicing her sutures, and returned to his office to do paperwork. He no longer cared what Weaver thought about it. When he had finished the papers, he brought a handful of them to Elizabeth's office, where she was waiting for them. They sat and talked for a while after she had filed them away. This would be her first Christmas since Mark had died, and she seemed rather melancholy about it.

"You're welcome to leave Ella with us some time if you'd like to do some Christmas shopping without her," Robert offered with a friendly smile.

"Thank you, I might just take you up on that offer," she replied. "Ella talks about you and Melanie constantly. I think she has a bit of a crush on you, actually."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, she's always saying that you're cute."

Robert grinned. "Well, she clearly has very good taste," he replied before standing up to leave. He scanned the items of her desk quickly and noticed a daily calendar sitting in the corner. "Momentous Moments in British History," was the theme. He reached down and picked it up to read what it said. "11 December, 1936: King Edward VIII abdicates the throne in order to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American citizen. His brother Albert, took the throne, and became King George VI. King George's line continues to reign to this day."

Robert frowned and looked at Elizabeth. "What kind of man give up the throne for love?" he scoffed.

Elizabeth smiled and folded her arms. "A happy one, I expect," she replied. "They never divorced, so their love must have been true and much more powerful than the draw of being king."

Robert shook his head slowly and set the calendar back on the desk. "Would you do it?" he asked curiously.

Elizabeth thought about it for a moment. "If you find the right person, nothing else really matters," she finally replied. "Not even power."

Her words struck Robert right at the core of his being. She was absolutely right. The power he'd managed to obtain at the hospital paled in comparison to knowing that Melanie was downstairs, waiting for him. Being Chief of Staff was a poor substitute for her love.

"Would you?" Elizabeth asked him.

Robert thought about the freedom and opportunities that must have opened to Edward VIII when he abdicated. It must have been exciting and liberating. It must have been a wonderful feeling. At that moment, he knew that's what he wanted: to be rid of the Chief of Staff position. It ate up too much of his time, and he no longer took pleasure from wielding that power over others. "Well, as soon as I become king, I'll let you know," he answered with a grin before retreating back to his office to think for a while.

Elizabeth was doing well as acting Chief of Surgery; perhaps it was time to make that permanent. It was too much for her to take on the Chief of Staff position while adjusting to the Chief of Surgery position as well. That should go to somebody else. But who? Try as he might, the only person he could think of who was both qualified and willing to do the job, was Kerry Weaver. Could he really hand his job over to her? She wanted it so badly that he felt an almost moral obligation to make sure she never got it. But…if he handed the reins over to her, she wouldn't get the satisfaction of _taking_ the job from him. That made him feel better. Also, if he promoted somebody else to ER Chief, that would remove her from that department as well, and he could continue to do surgical consults there without having to deal with her anymore. The idea of stripping her of that position before sticking her with a desk job thrilled him to no end. And who to take over Weaver's position? Nobody there had hardly any brains or gumption, except for Lewis perhaps. She was the smartest of the bunch, and was a good confidant. She would make a good ER Chief. He could revive the Trauma Fellowship position and become a permanent surgical consultant in the ER. Melanie would go on to other rotations, working under other advisors, and he would no longer be in a position of power over her. If they got caught at that point in time, they'd get a mere slap on the wrist. It was a complex plan, one that he needed to think about for a while and perfect before approaching Anspaugh.

That evening, Melanie had no idea why Robert invited her to his house, but she readily accepted. He didn't tell her anything about his plan, but he was in a most happy mood. She didn't question his good mood, but considered herself lucky as he subjected her to his most delicate and arousing ministrations.

"Oh, Robert," she gasped when he'd finished and she was able to speak again. "That was wonderful." She propped herself up on her elbows and looked into his eyes.

Robert smiled sheepishly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said, looking at how rosy her cheeks were and how beautiful she was just then. She was always beautiful, but the glow on her face heightened it. If her response to his touches tonight was any indication of what making love to her would be like, then he realized he was in for quite a wonderful experience with her.

That night, before bed, they took their first co-ed shower together, and when they were done, a most-satisfied Robert fell asleep with his arm around Melanie's waist, and a smile on his face.

(SCENE)

By Friday, Melanie and Robert's weekend was planned out entirely. Saturday would be dress-shopping day, followed by their dance lesson, and on Sunday, Ella would be coming over for the day. Melanie would make her grandmother's pfeffernusse cookies and wanted to help Ella work on some sort of homemade present for Elizabeth.

Friday after work, she drove to the fabric store to find inspiration, as well as the Christmas stockings and puff paint she needed for Robert and Gretel. With bags of paintable wooden ornaments, paints, brushes, stockings, and other fun accessories like glitter and beads, she drove to Robert's house and set them on the kitchen table. "This is going to be so much fun!" she declared while Robert looked through the bags.

Robert grimaced and shook his head. "I'm not really an art project person," he said, turning to look at her. "I'll help with the cookies, though."

Melanie smiled and kissed his cheek. "That's fine," she replied before they began to debate what to have for dinner.

On Saturday, Robert mentally prepared himself for what would most likely be a torturous day of shopping. He insisted on another "naked morning", declaring it was the only way he'd be able to maintain his sanity. "I'm so flattered that my naked body is the only thing keeping you from losing it," Melanie said, sounding amused as she cradled him in her arms.

Robert had quickly discovered that this position gave him an ideal vantage point, seeing as his favorite parts of her body were right at eye level this way. "You _should_ be flattered," he declared, reaching up with his good hand and pinching her lightly, eliciting a squeal from her.

"Well when you get like this, it does nothing for _my_ sanity," Melanie said, letting go of Robert so he fell back onto the bed. She leaned down and kissed him. "You drive me crazy," she said with a grin. "I'm going to need to take a shower before we go." This time, when Robert walked into the bathroom behind her, she didn't try to stop him.

They started their shopping trip quite a bit later than they had intended to, and the mall was packed with shoppers. It was not the best way to start their trip. Melanie looked in several stores, but couldn't find a dress that suited her tastes. Robert felt she was being too picky and told her so. She informed him that he was incorrect and after a half hour of such heated exchanges, they decided it would be best if they shopped in separate stores. Robert took his leave, but told her to call him if she found a dress.

He was frustrated that they'd had their first real fight in a store and that he appeared to have lost. He was surprised at how passionate she was when she got truly angry. If they hadn't been in public, he might have taken her right there in the changing room. She was always beautiful, but when they argued, she was just so sexy…And when she called him an hour later, in tears and apologizing for quarreling, he immediately told her it had been his fault and all was forgiven. She still hadn't found a dress, but was determined to keep looking.

He spotted a jewelry store as he closed his phone, and walked inside to take a look around. He had decided on a bracelet for her Christmas gift, and wanted to find just the right one.

"I'm looking for a bracelet for my girlfriend," he explained to the clerk. He felt a thrill as he said that, for it was the first time he'd ever referred to Melanie as his girlfriend before. He liked the way it sounded. "She doesn't like diamonds," he added, recalling that from one of their conversations. He tried to memorize anything helpful like that whenever they talked.

"What colors does she wear the most?" the clerk asked.

"Let's see…blues, greens," Robert replied, thinking about her usual attire.

The clerk steered Robert over to a case with pieces made up of those colors. Jade, turquoise, and amethysts among others. When the clerk held up a tennis bracelet made entirely of dark blue sapphires and solid white gold, Robert knew that was the one for her. It would look beautiful against her skin.

"A tennis bracelet never goes out of style, and goes with nearly anything," the clerk said as he held it up to allow the gems to catch the light. It sparkled brilliantly.

Robert looked at the other bracelets in the case, but none of them was as superior. He knew she didn't have anything else like it, and enjoyed the thought of being the one to give her her first "real" piece of jewelry. "How much?" he asked casually.

The clerk looked up the price in his computer before returning to the counter. "It retails at $4000," he informed Robert.

Robert nodded his head slowly and mulled it over for a few minutes. It was a beautiful bracelet, worth every penny. It could be something passed down from generation to generation. He loved Melanie and money was no object when it came to making her happy. But he knew she'd never approve of the cost, which is why he decided never to let her see the receipt. "I'll take it," he finally said, taking his wallet out of his jeans and giving the clerk his credit card.

The clerk looked startled as he took the credit card. "Most customers want to hear about our installment plan, would you be interested in that?" he asked before running the card through.

"No thanks, my credit limit will cover this," Robert replied confidently. A couple minutes and signatures later, and he left the store with a plain paper bag containing the bracelet and the box it was in.

He was wondering when Melanie would finally find a dress, when his phone rang. "I found it!" her excited voice called out in greeting.

"Where are you? Let me come look at it," he said, feeling happy that the shopping trip was done.

"I'm at Past is Prologue," she replied. "But you can't see the dress yet because it needs some alterations first. It doesn't fit quite right."

"Past is Prologue…but that's a used-clothing store," Robert said, his joy turning to dismay.

"Vintage, it's vintage clothing," Melanie replied as if that was supposed to reassure him. "And I still need shoes, stockings, a shawl, and gloves," she continued.

"Well, let's eat first and then we can tackle those next," Robert said, hoping he could talk her out of her choice while they ate.

"I really think you'll love it when you see it. Just trust me," Melanie said earnestly.

"Why don't you stay there and I'll come to you," Robert said. "You need me to pay for it still." When he walked into the store, he found her standing by the cash register. She looked very happy. Whatever the dress looked like, she clearly loved it. It made it easier for him to take out his credit card and buy it for her.

"It's $100," Melanie said sheepishly. "I hope that's not too much."

Robert smiled and shook his head. "I expected to spend three times as much," he replied lightly. "There's no such thing as 'too expensive' when it comes to you." When he finished paying the bill, they walked past the food court and over to an expensive bistro.

"Oh, but I'm fine with the food court, really," Melanie said. "This place looks really pricey."

Robert stopped walking and turned to look at her. "First of all, as a rule, I don't eat food court food," he said. "It's a matter of principle. And second, you're going to have to get used to the better things in life, Melanie. I intend to keep you well-off. If you're going to be with me, you will have to accept this about me. It's how I'm wired. Perhaps it's old-fashioned, or even sexist, but this is who I am. I take care of the women in my life and I make sure they enjoy a certain level of comfort."

Melanie frowned slightly. "What other women?" she asked before biting her lip.

Robert smiled and traced his finger over her lip so she would stop biting it. "My mother," he reassured her. "Don't worry about me cheating on you; I'm not that kind of man."

Melanie smiled and threw her arms around him. She kissed him heartily. "I love you," she whispered in his ear.

Robert grinned and led her into the restaurant, trying his best to ignore the hoots and wolf whistles they got as they walked beyond the food court. He didn't say anything, but was secretly thrilled at her public display of affection and the fact that the crowd seemed to have enjoyed it.

He was thrilled again when Melanie took his words to heart and ordered the most expensive seafood item on the menu. "That's my girl," he said with a smile before ordering a pasta dish. "And maybe we'll have to splurge and order dessert too."

"I think that sounds wonderful," Melanie replied.

They quickly launched into a lively debate about politics, something Robert loved to discuss. When their food arrived, they shared it with one another while continuing their banter. Robert was rather conservative politically, while Melanie was somewhat more moderate. It made for fun debates.

"That will never happen!" Robert hissed. "They will never pass national healthcare. What do you think we are, Britain? Just ask Corday, she'd be able to tell you all that's wrong with their system." Melanie held out a forkful of her crab cake to him. He ate it before twirling pasta onto the fork and passing it back to her.

"But maybe it wouldn't be too bad. I mean, that's what people said about social security back when it started, and now look at it. These things just take time," Melanie replied before eating the pasta.

They continued to debate even when the dessert menu arrived and Melanie wanted cheesecake while Robert wanted the cranberry tart. They argued the merits of each while waiting for them to arrive and ended up swapping plates after a few bites.

Once they were well-fed and well-rested, it was time for more shopping. Fortunately it only took two hours to find all the pieces she still needed to complete the outfit. By the time they were finished with shopping, it was time for their dance lesson. Both of them were completely exhausted by the time they returned home that night.

Robert ordered a pizza for them and Melanie had just enough energy to pour glasses of wine to go with it. They ate on the couch, leaning against each other, barely able to keep their eyes open. As much as they wanted a co-ed shower, they were too tired for one, and collapsed into Melanie's bed instead. They were asleep within minutes.


	16. The Ballet

The next day, before Ella came over, they enjoyed another "naked morning" together, followed by a shower. Robert was very pleased that Melanie was becoming so much more comfortable around him. She was also more interested in and relaxed with his physical advances. In fact, she seemed to quite enjoy their activities. Any opportunity she had to touch him or embrace him, she took without hesitation, and she happily allowed him to reciprocate. It turned out that she even had quite a playful side as well, which he was having fun getting to know better. He knew she would be ready when they made love on Christmas Eve, and he hoped he would be too.

When they were dressed, Melanie made breakfast and they reviewed the plan for the day's events. "Do you think she'll need a nap?" Robert asked while pouring coffee into two mugs. "Kids need naps, right?"

"I think so," Melanie replied with a nod before putting scrambled eggs onto their plates. "We can use my room again."

"Have you ever thought about having kids?" Robert asked casually, taking the plate she held out to him. He had found over the years that the best way to get truthful answers from people was to spring questions on them suddenly.

Melanie looked surprised as she sat down next to him and started buttering toast for them to share. "Sure," she replied quietly. "I've always wanted to have a couple of kids, but I never really thought it would happen." Her voice had been wistful, and turned mournful by the end.

"What do you mean?" Robert asked, taking the toast she held out to him.

Melanie shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "I just never thought I'd find somebody to marry and settle down with." She looked carefully at Robert. She could easily see herself marrying him, if he wanted it. She tried not to blush as she thought about having a child with him. Maybe she could give him the son he wanted to name Paul. But it wouldn't do to get her hopes up based on a conversation that was probably just curious in nature.

Robert put his hand on hers and squeezed it encouragingly. "Don't give up hope just yet," he replied quietly, looking into her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she blushed shyly. He kissed her gently for a moment before tearing himself away and returning to his food. They ate in contented silence after that.

Elizabeth arrived with Ella and several bags of supplies as soon as they'd finished their meal. She explained all the items in the bags to them since they'd never seen or heard of most of them before. "This is her favorite naptime story," she said, holding out a copy of Green Eggs and Ham, "she usually goes down around 1:30 and sleeps for two hours or so." She reached into another bag and took out a dog-eared, dingy stuffed rabbit. "And this is her favorite animal," she continued. "Her name is Honey Bunny and she can't fall asleep without it."

After another half hour of explanations, Elizabeth left for her shopping trip. Ella wandered around the living room and squealed when Gretel trotted over to sniff her. "Mush! Mush!" she cried, clapping her hands in delight as the dog licked her on the cheek.

Robert chuckled. "She must have read a book about sled dogs," he mused while Melanie wiped Ella's cheeks clean. He bent down until he could look into Ella's eyes. "All right, Miss Ella, what do you want to do today?" Ella looked blankly at him for a moment before sticking her thumb in her mouth. "Would you like to bake cookies today? Melanie wants to make cookies and she needs a helper. Would you like to be her helper?"

Ella nodded her head, her eyes sparkling. "Cookies!" she cried excitedly.

Melanie knelt down too. "And how about making presents for your mom?" she asked. "Do you like to paint?"

"Paint!" Ella screamed, clapping her hands again.

"Good, because we're going to do all of that today," Melanie said, standing up and holding her hand out for Ella to take. When Ella took her hand, she looked over her shoulder and took Robert's good hand as well. His heart swelled and he walked with them into the kitchen with a huge grin on his face.

Melanie looked around the kitchen for an extra apron, but couldn't find one. "You don't have an old dress shirt we could use as a smock, do you?" she asked, remembering back to her elementary school days.

Robert ran upstairs and returned with a white long-sleeved dress shirt. "This one shrunk in the wash and I keep forgetting to toss it," he said, holding it out to Melanie and watching with amusement as she put it on Ella backwards. "You, my dear, are a genius," he said after she'd finished rolling up the sleeves and buttoning the shirt.

"Why thank you," Melanie replied. "I think we should do cookies first and painting after naptime." They got to work with baking and were soon lost in the fun. Robert turned on a radio station that played only Christmas music and Melanie sang along and tried to teach Ella some of the lyrics. But when she tried to get Robert to join them, he refused.

"There's a reason I wasn't in _my_ school's glee club," he said, shaking his head. "You don't want to be subjected to that. I can't carry a tune."

"Aww, I'm sure you're not that bad," Melanie pouted while mixing the dough with a wooden spoon.

"Well, we're not going to find out," Robert replied before stealing a bite of dough from the bowl. "Mmm," he murmured in approval. He held out a bit for her and she let him pop it into her mouth.

Melanie smiled and resisted the urge to kiss him. She handed a piece to Ella and tried to show her how to roll it into a ball, but the younger girl's coordination wasn't developed enough to do it very well. Since Robert couldn't help with that either, Melanie rolled the balls and they placed them onto the cookie sheets.

While the cookies baked, it was Ella's turn to teach Robert and Melanie something. She taught them the words to "Little Bunny Foo Foo," and they were highly entertained by not only the song, but the pantomime that accompanied it.

"Ella, that was wonderful," Robert praised as Melanie took the sheet pans from the oven and started setting the cookies onto cooling racks. She poured powdered sugar into three bowls and demonstrated how to cover the cookies by rolling them in the sugar. They were all able to help with that step, though Ella ended up making quite a mess.

"These are delicious," Robert declared after trying one.

Melanie looked at him and chuckled. "You have powdered sugar all over your chin," she said, reaching out and brushing it off. "There, now you look good as new."

Ella looked at Robert and batted her eyelashes at him. "Wobee cute," she declared.

Melanie smiled at him and tried not to laugh. "Yes, Robby's very cute," she replied.

"You marry Wobee?" Ella asked, sitting down on a chair and looking curiously at her.

Melanie blushed crimson and looked at the floor. "Uh…" she stammered for a second, trying to figure out how to get out of the awkward situation.

"I didn't tell her to ask you that, I swear," Robert said quietly, feeling a little embarrassed as well. "But…inquiring minds want to know…I mean _Ella's_ inquiring mind wants to know…"

Melanie didn't have the courage to look at him just then, and turned her attention to Ella instead. "I like Robert very, very much," she said to the girl. "And some day, if we decide to, we'll get married. But Robert would have to ask me first."

Ella turned and looked at Robert expectantly. Robert wasn't ready to be having this conversation with anybody yet, but he couldn't think of any way around it. "Some day, I will ask Melanie if she would like to marry me," he said slowly, looking at Ella. "But not today."

Ella seemed satisfied with this answer, nodded, and got down from her chair. "Play with dog now," she declared before walking out of the kitchen and into the living room, leaving the two adults in the room alone.

Melanie's heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe. "I should go look after the baby," she finally gasped before rushing out of the kitchen.

Robert sat down in the chair Ella had been in and rubbed his temples. That was definitely not how he had imagined letting Melanie know he was interested in marriage. He felt raw, exposed. It was definitely time to retreat for a while. "Melanie, I think I'll leave you two to play," he called out to them before hurrying away to his den.

Melanie could sense his mortification and wondered if it was as debilitating as her own. She felt like running upstairs to her room and crying for the rest of the day, but Ella needed her attention. They played with Gretel until Gretel too needed to retreat and trotted off to find Robert in the den.

When Ella started acting cranky, Melanie returned to the kitchen to make lunch. She made a box of macaroni and cheese for the three of them, calling out to Robert when it was ready. He came into the room and sat down at the table without speaking. He thanked Melanie quietly when she placed a bowl in front of him. He watched as she put Ella in the high chair and helped her eat with a spoon. Melanie's food was cold by the time she was able to sit down to it.

Ella was a slow eater and it was time for her nap when she'd finished lunch, so Melanie helped her wash her hands and face before taking her upstairs to sleep. Robert watched them leave and walk up the stairs, and realized Melanie had forgotten the book and the rabbit. He hurried after them, found the items in their bags in the foyer, and joined them in Melanie's room a minute later. "You forgot these," he said, holding them out to her.

"Would you like to read it to her?" Melanie asked as she tucked Ella into the bed and placed Honey Bunny next to her.

"I suppose I could," he replied before sitting down next to Ella on the bed. He found that by propping the book on his knees, he could turn the pages with his good hand. Melanie sat down on the other side of the bed, and listened to the soothing sound of Robert's voice as he read Green Eggs and Ham. He only made it halfway through the book before Ella was sound asleep. Quietly, the two adults tiptoed out of the room and shut the door behind them. "So…" Robert said, trying to break the silence.

"Crazy day so far, isn't it?" Melanie whispered as they walked towards the stairs. "You know that saying 'Kids say the darndest things'? I guess it's really true."

Robert smiled and nodded his head. "Very true," he replied as they walked down the stairs. Once they were downstairs, they walked into the living room and sat next to one another on the couch. "I like having Ella around. She's a lot of fun."

"She is, a lot of fun," Melanie said, echoing him. "Definitely unpredictable." They sat in awkward silence for a while after that.

Once Robert had finally worked up the nerve, he spoke up. "Listen, we need to talk about what happened." He turned to look at Melanie. "I have a really hard time expressing my feelings, so I definitely hadn't planned on proposing to you today. I love you, but I love getting to know you. We're not ready for engagements or marriage yet. But now that we both know that we're interested in taking it that far, I propose that we table any talk of marriage for now, and go back to just enjoying our courtship. When the time is right for talk of progressing our relationship, we'll know it. And we'll discuss it then."

Melanie breathed a sigh of relief. "I feel exactly the same way, Robert," she replied. "I'm definitely not ready for any of this yet. I like us being just like this right now." She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Just like this," she repeated before kissing his cheek.

Robert pulled her over and wrapped his arm over her, holding onto her tightly. He felt relief wash over him. It didn't take long for them to start kissing. "How long do you think we have?" he growled while slipping his hand under her shirt and reaching for her bra clasps.

"A couple hours I think," Melanie gasped as she unzipped his jeans and started pulling them down.

"Good," he replied before slipping her bra off and throwing it on the floor. They lost themselves in their illicit activities, enjoying every carefree second of it.

Melanie loved the sense of danger, knowing the baby was upstairs and could wake up at any moment, or that Elizabeth could come back sooner than planned and interrupt them. It all felt so naughty; she loved it.

When they finally heard the baby start to cry, both felt a sharp sense of disappointment. Robert was in no condition to go get the baby, so Melanie started to stand up to leave, but he held her back. "You can't leave me like this," he gasped. "She'll be all right for a couple minutes." Melanie sighed and went back to what she'd been doing. When she was done, she quickly put her clothes back on and ran upstairs while Robert caught his breath. When he was certain he wouldn't pass out, he too grabbed his clothes and threw them on as fast as humanly possible and straightened up the couch just in time for Melanie to return with Ella in her arms.

"Did you have a good nap?" he asked the baby.

"Yes I did," Ella replied as Melanie set her down. "Hungry," she said before wandering into the kitchen.

As Melanie walked after her, Robert reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her neck. "I don't like having to wrap things up so quickly," he murmured in her ear.

Melanie reached her hand up and caressed his face. "Well, if we're going to have kids of our own some day, we'll have to get used to it…" she replied lightly before unwrapping his hand from her waist and walking into the kitchen. Robert sighed and shook his head slowly before following her into the other room.

They made "ants on a log" for snack, and Robert had to work very hard to convince Ella that they weren't really ants. In the end, he took a bite of the celery first to prove it. She was satisfied with that and ate hers without complaint after that.

When snack time was done, Robert left the girls to work on their art projects while he returned to his den. He worked on his grand plans to step down while Melanie showed Ella how to paint the wooden Christmas ornaments to be given to Elizabeth as a present.

"Oh, Ella, that is a great candy cane," Melanie praised as Ella painted the candy cane purple and green. "It looks delicious!" Ella beamed and nodded her head. When all the ornaments had been painted, Melanie unfolded newspapers on the dining room table and placed the ornaments on it to dry. "I'll wrap it up for you when it's done. I think your mommy will love them," she said to Ella.

When they'd gotten cleaned off and Melanie had taken off Ella's smock, they walked over to Robert's office where he was working on some research. "Would you like to join us while we watch 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'?" Melanie asked.

Robert turned away from the computer screen and smiled. "I'd love to," he replied while standing up and walking to the door. He picked Ella up and carried her into the living room. They settled onto the couch while Melanie set up the DVD. Ella sat on Robert's lap, Melanie snuggled against his side, and Gretel jumped up and sat on Melanie's feet. It was the very picture of domestic bliss.

About five minutes into the show, the doorbell rang. Gretel jumped off the couch, ran to the door and barked until Melanie ran up to her and told her to stop. She opened both sets of doors and Elizabeth smiled at her from the other side. "Hello," she said as she walked into the house. "I finished up earlier than I thought."

"Oh, well we just started a show that Ella was really interested in. Would you like to join us? It would be a shame to make her leave before it's over."

Ella was excited to see her mother and crawled over onto her lap when she sat down on the far end of the couch. Melanie sat back down next to Robert, who put his arm across her shoulders and held her tightly. Ella got scared a couple times during the show, but Elizabeth was able to soothe her fears with a few calm words and kisses.

When the show ended, Melanie offered Elizabeth tea, and together they went into the kitchen to talk while Robert entertained Ella with stories about the history of Christmas trees and presents.

"Did you find good things for Ella today? I hope the mall wasn't too crazy," Melanie said while setting tea and cookies on the table.

"It was pretty hectic, but I managed to get some wonderful things," Elizabeth replied before tasting the cookies. "These are delicious."

"Thanks," Melanie said with a smile. "Ella helped make them. We had a great day today. She's such a delight to have around."

"You and Robert are good with her," Elizabeth said. "It always surprises me how wonderful he is with children. He's going to make a great father some day." She looked pointedly at Melanie and tried to stifle the smile as the younger girl blushed.

"I think you're right," Melanie said quietly, taking a sip of her tea and stuffing an entire cookie in her mouth.

They were silent for a minute or two after that until Elizabeth decided to continue the conversation. "And you'll make a wonderful mother, I really think so," she said with a sly grin. "I really had my doubts at first, about you two. Lots of doubts. Big doubts, very big doubts. Mostly about Robert, but I can safely say now that I was wrong. You make him truly happy, happier than I've ever known him to be."

Melanie smiled. "I love him so much," she confessed quietly. "He makes me happy. I think I know what the future holds, but we're enjoying taking it slow."

Elizabeth took a sip of tea so she wouldn't see the grin on her face. She wondered when they'd tie the knot. She gave them until autumn, a year after they'd met. And then not long after that she knew they'd try for a baby. A year from now, Melanie would be pregnant. But she kept her thoughts to herself.

Robert walked into the room, carrying Ella in his good arm. "I have told her all about the history of Christmas," he announced before setting Ella down in the chair next to her mother. "She was thoroughly impressed."

"I bet she was," Elizabeth replied lightly. "I was just commenting to Melanie how good you are with Ella. You're going to be a wonderful father some day." She stood up and set her cup in the sink. "I think Ella and I should be on our way. You two probably want to spend the evening alone…"

Robert grinned in spite of himself. It would be interesting to see how fatherhood suited him. He'd never really considered it before, but lately it was coming to mind more and more. Even if he wasn't the one bringing it up.

Melanie and Robert helped Elizabeth gather the bags and when they couldn't find Honey Bunny anywhere, Robert ran up to Melanie's room to retrieve it. He placed it in Ella's outstretched arms. "I'm so glad you came over to play today," he said as they walked out the door.

"What do you say to Robert for letting you come over today?" Elizabeth prodded Ella.

"Thank you Wobee," Ella said shyly before running to hide behind her mother's legs.

"You're very welcome, Ella," Robert replied. He walked them to the car and helped get the baby into her car seat, then waved goodbye as they drove away. When he returned to the house, Melanie was waiting for him on the porch. He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked back into the house with her.

(SCENE)

Christmas madness seemed to have taken over the ER during the next week. In slow times, they turned on Christmas music and worked on decorating, though Robert forced Melanie to work on sutures during her free time instead. "You'll thank me one day," he said while she pouted. "While the others are goofing off, you're getting valuable practice here. Think of your OR rotation. It's not going to be easy like this one's been."

Melanie sighed and continued to pout, though she did see his point. At least he let her put up a wreath outside his office door. She hadn't been inside his office since they decided it was too tempting for them to be alone there together. Robert had fantasies about taking Melanie on his desk, but knew that could never happen.

Those fantasies weren't assuaged in the least by midweek. Robert felt like Christmas arrived early that day. He and Melanie were in trauma room two, working on a woman who'd been stabbed multiple times. Weaver was running it, and Pratt and his students were also assisting.

"Decreased breath sounds on the right," Melanie called out as she listened to the woman breath through her stethoscope. "The stab wound to her ribcage punctured her lung. Tension pneumothorax," she diagnosed correctly and without hesitation.

Kerry agreed and talked her though the procedure for stabilizing it. Tina Smith was across from Melanie, struggling to get an IV into the woman's arm. She glared at Melanie, who smiled at her. "Would you like me to help you with that?" she offered sweetly. "I'm finished over here on my side."

Tina's glare grew even deadlier. "No thanks," she replied stonily. It took another minute, but she finally got the IV into the woman's arm.

"All right, now that that's finally done, let's get her up to the OR," Kerry said before looking around the room. "Ms. Hahn, would you like to do the honors? It was your correct diagnosis, after all."

"Yes Doctor, thank you," Melanie replied politely before moving to the front of the gurney and starting to push it.

Robert walked next to her, wheeling the IV stand with him. He tried to hide his pride for her as long as he could, until they were in the elevator. "You were brilliant, Miss Hahn, if I do say so myself," he said with a grin. "As your instructor I am very proud of you right now."

Melanie's eyes sparkled and she beamed at him. "Thank you, Doctor," she replied demurely. "I tried to remember your advice about being right, and I must admit, I did quite enjoy it."

Robert's heart swelled with happiness. After a few seconds, the happiness turned to desire as he continued to look at her. They were going up to the OR, his office was just down the hall. It would be so easy to go there on some pretext and then go about slacking his lust. But he couldn't. He knew the moment they gave into their passion at work was the moment Weaver or Anspaugh would walk in on them. Maybe he'd see if she could come over to his place that evening instead.

After they left the elevator and dropped the patient off with Shirley, Melanie looked curiously at Robert. "Are you all right?" she asked. "We should get back downstairs."

"I'm just fine," Robert said curtly. "Actually, if you don't mind, I have some very important paperwork to attend to. I'll meet you later, all right?" With that, he turned and rushed off to his office where he hoped he'd be able to calm down soon.

Melanie returned to the ER, completely unaware of her boyfriend's internal struggle. She spent the rest of the afternoon working with Susan and talking in whispers about Robert in their spare time.

"So, have you guys…?" Susan asked, wriggling her eyebrows as they restocked the suture room.

Melanie blushed and shook her head. "Not yet," she replied, "though we are well on the way towards it."

Susan's smile widened. "Oh I can just imagine what you two must get up to at his house," she replied coarsely.

Melanie wrinkled her nose. "You can?" she asked cautiously.

Susan laughed. "Hey, I have no sex life at the moment, so I have to live vicariously through others," she said with a shrug. "A near-sex life is still closer than none at all…"

Melanie began to giggle and couldn't stop, until Dr. Carter walked into the room. "Susan have you seen the—What's so funny?"

"We were just talking about Melanie's boyfriend, Paul," Susan explained.

"Ah, _Paul_," Carter replied, looking pointedly at Melanie. "And how are things with Paul?"

"Just fine, thank you very much," Melanie replied, trying to calm herself down. "And you can relax, she knows."

"You know? When did you find out?" Carter asked, looking at Susan.

"Couple months ago, when did you find out?"

"Thanksgiving. Haleh knows too."

"So does Corday."

"Is there anybody who _doesn't_ know?"

"Plenty, and I'm hoping it stays that way," Melanie interjected.

Carter and Susan moved to stand next to each other, and looked down at Melanie. "They're so cute together, don't you think?" Susan asked conspiratorially.

"They're like little hobbits," Carter replied, grinning. "Adorable, tiny, little hobbits."

"I know! Whenever they're near each other down here that's exactly what I think."

"Thanks a lot, you guys," Melanie said sarcastically.

"It's not bad; you two make a cute couple. That's all we're saying," Susan reassured her. After a couple minutes more of teasing, Susan and Carter left, and Melanie returned to the admit desk to find a patient.

Dr. Weaver was at the desk reviewing some charts when she got there. "I didn't have a chance to say it earlier, but I wanted to commend you on your performance in this morning's trauma. I've noticed a marked improvement in your diagnoses and general confidence over the past couple of weeks," Weaver said over her notes. "I think you'll be ending your ER rotation on a high note."

"Thanks, Dr. Weaver," Melanie said, feeling truly complimented. "That means a lot coming from you." While she had no intention of pursuing emergency medicine for her career, it was good to know she would probably get a good grade for her rotation. And that she had a possible fallback if she couldn't make up her mind in what to focus on. She was still no closer to knowing what she wanted to focus on, and it was both stressful and frustrating. But there were patients to be seen, and no time to sit around fretting over it. She'd figure it out eventually.

(SCENE)

As much as Robert wanted Melanie to come to his house Wednesday night after work, he had a late meeting and she'd already left for her dormitory by the time he was done. Thursday night he'd be out buying her outfit for the Nutcracker, so Friday was the soonest he'd be able to see her in an unofficial capacity. He didn't know how he'd manage to last that long without her, but he'd try his best.

By Thursday afternoon, Robert knew what he wanted to get for her outfit. He'd surfed the internet and perused a few fashion magazines and decided to go to a boutique downtown instead of to Westfield mall. The clothing would be higher in quality, but more importantly, he wouldn't be at the mall. He'd picked up Melanie's clothes off the bedroom floor several times, and had snuck looks at the tags, so he knew her sizes. He knew her height, and felt it shouldn't be too difficult to find the perfect dress. And he also knew that her gala dress was cranberry, so he was thinking black for this dress. Every woman needed a slinky black dress, right? He didn't know any fashion rules, but figured that must be one of them.

After work that evening, he drove down to the shops to take a look. He felt uncomfortable being in a women's clothing shop without a woman accompanying him, but there was nothing to be done about it. The saleswomen were helpful, at least. When he walked to the evening dresses and stood there, waiting for someone to help him, it only took a minute for one of them to arrive.

"I need a dress for my girlfriend," he explained to the young woman who was helping him. "I'm thinking black."

"What is the occasion?"

"The ballet—The Nutcracker."

"Hmmm, and what size is she?"

"She wears a six."

"What style do you think she'd like?"

"Slinky, something very form-fitting, definitely. Strapless would be ideal, or spaghetti straps maybe."

"What length?"

Robert thought for a moment. While he'd love something mid-thigh length, it would be classier to go with floor length. But perhaps with a bit of a slit in it. When he said this to the saleswoman, she led him around to several options which were all nice, but none of them called out to him. As he looked around, something caught his eye from across the shop. He walked over and looked at it, and knew it was the perfect dress for Melanie. It was none of the things he had decided on, but it was beautiful. It was dark blue in color, and floor length. There was a form-fitting bodice that had been created from a swath of cloth that wrapped around the bust and twisted together in the center to create medium-thick straps. They crossed in the front across her chest and over her shoulders. It was made of rich, soft velvet, and reminiscent of an era he couldn't quite determine, but it was absolutely the right dress for her.

"Does this come in a six?" he asked the saleswoman who had trailed after him.

The woman looked though the rack and pulled out a dress. "The only one!" she declared triumphantly. "How tall is she? It would be a shame to have to take it in."

"We're the same height," Robert said. He tried to control his mouth as the saleswoman held it up to him to test the length.

"Perfect," she declared. "But you'll have to get something to cover her shoulders. A wrap or a scarf or something. Something like…" she looked around and walked over to another rack. "This," she said, holding it up to the dress. A gray faux fur wrap was just the thing to complement the dress and keep Melanie warm. He knew she wouldn't want to wear real fur.

They also found matching blue velvet slippers and nylons, as well as elbow-length gloves to complete the outfit. "Of course she'll need jewelry," the saleswoman said. "We have some lovely pieces that will go with it." She led him to a case and began to show off the pieces that would work best. He'd already decided to give Melanie the tennis bracelet to wear with the dress, since it worked so well with it. He also picked out a simple strand of pearls and a sapphire snowflake pendant that slipped onto the necklace perfectly. Small sapphire teardrop earrings would finish her look. As much as Robert couldn't wait to see Melanie dressed up to the nines in the clothes and jewelry he was buying, he was most looking forward to seeing her at the end of the night, taking all of them off again and joining him in bed.

Robert left the store that night with several bags on his good arm, and five figures poorer. He knew that he would reap benefits long after the trip to the ballet that far outweighed the money he'd just spent. He had no doubt in his mind that Melanie would be the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on when he saw her in the dress for the first time the next night.

(SCENE)

On Friday, Robert brought in all the bags from the previous night, and stowed them in his office before going down to the ER to find Melanie. She was working on a woman with an abscessed boil on her leg, and trying not to show her distaste for the task. "Good morning, Miss Hahn," he said in greeting as he stood behind her, watching. "I trust you're doing well today."

"I'm just fine, Doctor Romano, how are you?" Melanie asked primly.

"Very well, thank you," he replied. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you once you're finished. I have an important matter to discuss with you." When she looked at him with concern on her face, he shook his head. "It's nothing too bad; I just need to ask you something." He left her to her work after that and went into the lounge to talk with Susan.

"Susan…I was hoping I could count on your help later on this evening," he said when the room had emptied out of everybody but them. "I have some items I need delivered to Melanie discreetly before she leaves for the evening. Would you be willing to do this for me?"

"Oooh, this sounds interesting…" Susan said with a grin. "I'd be happy to help you out. Will I get to find out what all this is about?"

"I'm sure Melanie will need assistance, so my best guess would be, yes," Robert assured her. "Come up to my office at five, and I'll give you the items to deliver. I can't be seen in the vicinity."

Melanie finished with her patient and went into the suture room to talk with Robert. He was waiting for her there, sitting on one of the exam tables. "What did you need to talk to me about?" she asked cautiously.

"I needed to make sure that you're free this evening," he said nonchalantly. "I shall be taking you somewhere that's a surprise, and will be providing you with appropriate clothing by the end of your shift to change into. Be ready at five for them."

"What are you up to?" Melanie asked, grinning. "We aren't going to your place?"

"We have a stop to make first…"

"You have to tell me where!"

"No I don't, and I have no intention to either."

Melanie pouted for a minute, but he wouldn't budge. "Fine then, don't tell me where you're taking me. I don't care," she said haughtily.

"Don't you know me well enough by now to know that pouting never works on me?" Robert said, standing up from the table and walking over to her. He wrapped his hand around her waist and kissed her neck. "I'll give you a hint. It's Christmas-related."

Melanie leaned into him and kissed his cheek. "Then I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun, whatever it is," she murmured. They stood together for a minute. "Can we just stay like this all day? I don't like not getting to cuddle with you during the week."

"I miss you too," he said quietly, pulling away from her just as Abby walked into the room. "So, I think you can take what I was telling you to heart, and you'll that find your sutures improve immensely," he said before clearing his throat and walking out of the room.

Melanie looked at Abby and brushed her hair behind her ears. "Nice day so far, isn't it?" she asked casually.

"Yes, very nice day," Abby replied, looking at her curiously before taking a roll of gauze out of a drawer and leaving the room again. Melanie breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out of the room.

(SCENE)

Just before five that evening, Susan went up to Robert's office and knocked on the door. "Robert? It's me, Susan," she called out a moment before the door opened, revealing a slightly nervous-looking Robert. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, I just need to change my clothes and I'll be able to leave," he replied, "I need you to tell her to meet me at my car when she's all dressed and ready to go." He held out a few bags, and draped the dress over her arms. "Be careful with that, it cost a fortune."

Susan gingerly carried everything in her arms to the elevator and from there, down to the ER. Robert locked his office door and changed into a smart-looking black suit with a blue tie that matched Melanie's dress. He didn't leave for his car for a while, knowing it would take Melanie at least an hour to get dressed.

"Melanie, I need to talk to you," Susan said as she walked past the younger woman who was standing at the admit desk. "Can you come here, please?" She walked towards the bathroom, and Melanie set her chart down and trotted after her.

"What is all this?" she asked Susan as they walked into the women's restroom. "Does this have to do with what Robert wanted to do after work tonight?"

"Yes," Susan said before looking around to make sure they were alone in the room. "He wants you to wear all this stuff tonight and then meet him at his car. I think you'll need help putting it on, you want me to stay?"

Melanie started opening the bags of jewelry and clothes and gasped. "Oh my God! I hope he rented this stuff! This must have cost a fortune!"

Susan unzipped the bag containing the dress and gasped as well. "Look at this dress! This is the most amazing dress I've ever seen!"

Melanie turned to look at it and nearly passed out. "Oh, wow," she said lamely, running her hands up and down the velvet dress. "This is too much…"

"Come on, take your clothes off and let's get this stuff on," Susan said, taking the dress off the wooden hanger and holding it up to herself. When Melanie had stripped down to her underclothes, Susan turned and slipped the dress over her. It took a few minutes to get her arranged properly and zipped up, but soon enough it was done and she was standing in front of the mirror admiring herself. "You look beautiful," Susan said, looking into the mirror as well. "Robert has good taste. In clothes and women."

Melanie flushed and looked down at the dress. It fit like a glove. She'd never had such a dress before. It was incredibly soft and comfortable and she had to admit to herself, that she did look good in it. They set to work getting the rest of the clothing items on, and then it was time for the jewelry. "Do I wear the bracelet over the gloves?" she asked in confusion.

"Yes, definitely," Susan said, draping the tennis bracelet over Melanie's gloved wrist and attaching it for her. "And now for the necklace and earrings. You're right, this must have cost Robert a fortune. This is all real stuff I think, not fake. What are these, sapphires?" she asked, holding one of the earrings up to the light.

Melanie's heart pounded as she saw herself becoming more and more bedecked in jewels and rich fabrics. What was Robert thinking? Did he just want her to be a trophy girlfriend? Somebody he could use to display his wealth and prowess to the world? "Oh Susan…look at all this stuff…What am I supposed to do?" she asked, feeling her throat tighten as she spoke.

"Marry Robert, as soon as possible," Susan said, admiring her. "It's almost perfect, but we need your hair and makeup to match the outfit. Hold on, stay right here." She ran out of the room and was gone for a few minutes while Melanie continued to contemplate her future with Robert.

Susan returned a short time later with Chuny, Abby, and Connie at her heels. They had their purses with them and stood around Melanie for a few minutes looking at her outfit and formulating a game plan. It didn't take long for them to open their purses and begin attacking her with brushes, makeup and barrettes. Melanie stood in the center, helpless, and let them paint her face and tease her hair until she was completely unrecognizable anymore. When they'd finished, they all stood back and admired their handiwork. "Paul's a lucky guy," Susan finally said as she put the wrap around Melanie's shoulders. "Now you should go and meet him…"

Melanie turned to the women and thanked them for their help before leaving the restroom. She took deep breaths as she walked through the hallway, past patients, nurses, and doctors. None of them paid much attention to her, though she didn't escape Kerry Weaver's scrutiny as she walked to the admit desk to wrap up the last of her charts and notes before leaving for the night.

"Aren't you dressed up?" Weaver said casually, though looking carefully at the jewelry and wondering how much Robert had paid for it. "Going somewhere special?"

"Oh, I don't know," Melanie replied before setting her charts down. "Paul hasn't told me where he's taking me."

"Well, you'll have to tell us all about it on Monday, won't you?" Weaver said, smiling.

"Yes, definitely," Melanie said as she walked away towards the elevator. It only took a couple minutes to get to the parking garage and over to the jag where Robert was standing, waiting for her. She carefully held her skirt up a few inches to keep it from dragging over the dirty cement and hurried to him.

Robert had been leaning against the hood of the car and stood up when he saw her approaching. The dress was just as beautiful on her as he had known it would be, and he could see from that far away that her hair and makeup had been done up to match the grandeur of her outfit. She took his breath away and made his heart pound as she walked towards him.

When she was finally in front of him, he had no words to speak, which was a first for him. He gazed at her for a few minutes before reaching out and caressing her cheek. "Look at you," he whispered.

Melanie wanted him to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly, but knew they couldn't do that in the parking lot where they might be seen. "So, will you tell me where we're going?" she asked after a minute, walking to the driver's side of the car.

Once they were inside and belted, Robert turned to her. "I suppose I'll have to tell you if you're going to be driving us there," he replied lightly. "Very well, my dear, you and I shall be going to the ballet tonight."

"The ballet?" Melanie gasped excitedly. "I love the ballet! I've only been once in my whole life before."

"We'll have to try to remedy that."

"So, we're going to the Nutcracker?"

"It is December…"

"Oh Robert!" Melanie undid her seatbelt and threw herself against him, pummeling him with kisses. "This is the fanciest thing I've ever done. And the dress and the jewelry, I can't believe this. I feel like a princess."

Robert beamed to hear this. "Good," he replied, sounding satisfied. "You deserve to be treated like a princess."

Before they drove away, Melanie asked Robert the question that had been on her mind since she'd put on the dress. "All of this stuff," she said, gesturing to the necklace and dress, "Is this so you can show me off? I'm not a trophy girlfriend am I?" She furrowed her brow in concern.

Robert looked at her as though she'd asked a very silly question. "Of course you're my trophy girlfriend," he replied casually. "It's not every day a man gets lucky enough to fall in love with a girl as beautiful as you, and have her fall in love with him in return. I have to show you off any chance I get. And the best part of it is that you're as intelligent and brilliant as you are beautiful. I hope you'll be able to dazzle everybody else as much as you've dazzled me so far."

Melanie's face turned from concern to joy. "That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard in my entire life," she murmured. She drove out of the parking garage with a huge grin on her face.

(SCENE)

The ballet was just as magical as Melanie remembered it being when she was younger. She'd been worried that it wouldn't be as amazing to her now that she was an adult, but she needn't have been concerned. The Nutcracker never got old and never lost its magic, no matter how old the viewer was.

Robert even enjoyed it as well, though he'd assumed he'd hate it. He'd purchased 1st Tier Box tickets, and they had the best vantage point in the entire audience. It was fun to see all the children in the audience and he couldn't help but envision the day when he and Melanie would bring their children to see the show. The Nutcracker was definitely the perfect show for families. At one point, he caught Melanie's eye and knew she was thinking the same thing. They sat hand-in-hand during the ballet.

When it was over, they went to the gift shop, and he insisted on buying a Nutcracker ornament for their Christmas tree. "It'll be _our_ first ornament," he said, allowing himself the luxury of sentimentality. "Each year we can buy another one, until our tree is full of memories."

"I never really knew how much of a romantic you truly are," Melanie said as she held up a red Nutcracker ornament to look at.

"Romance is my middle name," he replied, wrapping his hand around her waist. "Robert Romance Romano…"

"I like the sound of that," Melanie said, leaning in and kissing him. "Mmm, let's get out of here, I'm hungry," she whispered after pulling away from him.

"Where should we go for dinner?" Robert asked as he walked to the cash register.

"I didn't say I was hungry for food…" she replied coyly.

Robert hurried at the cash register, then grabbed Melanie's arm, rushed her out of the store and out to the car. He wrapped his arm around her waist and crushed her against him, pressing his lips to hers. "You are so beautiful," he said, kissing her neck. "If we weren't in public, and sex in public wasn't illegal, I would take you right here on the hood."

"If it weren't for those things, I'd let you," Melanie gasped as he traced his fingers over her bodice. They continued to kiss and touch each other for a few more minutes before she pulled away and unlocked the car. "It's cold, and I am hungry for food," she said sadly while sitting down in the car.

They drove to a Chinese restaurant and ordered copious amounts of food. They were both ravenous and took their time enjoying dinner. "You know, you're supposed to read your fortune and end it with 'in bed'," Melanie said as their cookies arrived at the end of the meal.

"Oh, well, let's see what mine says," Robert said, picking one up and cracking it open. "Your life will change for the better soon…in bed," he read with a grin. He wriggled his eyebrows at Melanie. "I can't wait for that one to come true."

Melanie laughed and picked up her own cookie. "Your lover will be true to you…in bed," she said, looking into his eyes and smiling. "I like the sound of that."

When the meal was over, they drove back to Robert's house. Melanie had an idea to compromise with Robert's desire for public sex on the hood of his car, and pushed him down on the car, once the garage door had closed. He was so surprised that he didn't try to stop her as she kissed him and straddled him on top of the car. "I've been thinking of the best way to thank you for everything tonight," she said while unbuttoning his dress shirt and running her hands over his chest. "And this is that only thing I could come up with." She unbuckled his belt, and unzipped his pants. He gasped when her delicate fingers grazed him. She kissed his chest and continued to kiss his body as she worked her way down to her final destination. He cried out as she showed him her true feelings.

Robert was breathless and exhilarated by the time she was finished with him. "Wow," he gasped as she lay down on the hood next to him.

"I can't believe I did that," Melanie said sheepishly.

"Neither can I, but I'm sure glad you did," Robert said, still trying to catch his breath.

After a minute, she slid off the hood and walked to the door into the kitchen. "I'm going upstairs to bed," she called out to him.

"But it's not very late yet," Robert said, slowly standing up.

"I know, but I'm still going to bed."

"May I join you?"

"Sure, but you'll have to catch me first," she said with a laugh, before hiking her dress up in her hands and running into the house. Robert grinned and ran after her.

Several hours later, Robert and Melanie lay in one another's arms, sleeping very soundly. Melanie was wearing the sapphire tennis bracelet, and nothing else.


	17. UnSilent Night

The next morning, Melanie decided it was finally time for the two of them to share a bubble bath together, so she drew one for them and called out to Robert to join her in the bathroom. "Look at all the bubbles," he said as he gingerly stepped into the hot water and sat down. "You have to take your bracelet off before you get in," he called out, pointing to her wrist as she stepped towards the tub.

Melanie held her arm up and admired the bracelet. "I don't ever want to take it off. It's the prettiest thing I've ever had," she declared firmly before frowning and unhooking it from her wrist. She set it on the sink and climbed in next to Robert. When she sat down, a wave of bubbly water cascaded over the edge of the tub onto the floor. She laughed and hid her face in her hands in embarrassment. "I forgot about water displacement," she moaned. "Double the people means double the volume…"

Robert laughed heartily and pulled her over to him. "That's what towels are for," he reassured her while wrapping his arm around her waist. "It's a tight fit; I might have to invest in a bigger tub if we want to make a habit of this."

"I am a bit squished," Melanie said as they tried to get more comfortable and ended up being elbowed in the breast accidentally. "This must be what twins feel like in utero," she commented while twisting around and coming to a stop once she'd moved to the other end of the tub. She and Robert were facing one another from opposite ends and there seemed to be more room that way. They played footsies and talked about their weekend plans, which, according to Melanie, consisted mostly of watching Christmas movies and working on Christmas stockings.

"You got one for yourself, didn't you?" Robert asked, rubbing his foot against her inner thigh, and causing her to squeal.

"No, I bought yours and Gretel's before I knew I was coming over for Christmas," Melanie replied as she squirmed away from his foot.

Robert frowned. "I'll get you one," he said quietly, reaching down and grabbing one of her feet and squeezing it lovingly.

"What do you want for Christmas? I want to get you something special. You've gotten me so much; I have to get you something."

Robert rubbed her foot and thought about it for a while. He couldn't think of anything he needed for Christmas. "I really have all the 'stuff' I need," he said finally. "I just want you, that's really it, honestly."

Melanie's lip began to quiver and soon she was sniffling. "That's so sweet, Robert," she said. "I still want to have something under the tree for you, though. I'll think of something I suppose."

They sat in silence for a while before she moved around to settle into his arms, despite the tight squeeze. Robert kissed her forehead and let his hands explore her soft skin. "You know what we need?" he asked after a minute. "A hot tub. I don't know why I didn't have on installed years ago."

Melanie rested her head on his chest. "That would be nice," she replied wistfully.

Robert thought about it for a while. Would it make sense to install one now? He needed to be realistic about the future, and the reality was, he didn't know if Melanie would match at County or even at a Chicago hospital. When her acceptance letter arrived, he had to be prepared for whatever it said. He would go with her, wherever she was assigned, whether it was staying in Chicago or packing up their lives to move to some rural area in the middle of nowhere. But Melanie had a good career ahead of her. He knew that she would be matched in a major city as opposed to a rural area. Maybe he'd wait to see where she was matched before buying a hot tub. But wherever they ended up, he decided that it would be on the top of his list of things to make sure Melanie had. He wouldn't say anything about it just yet. Melanie had enough to worry about with her education right now; she didn't need to fret about where she'd end up at this point in time.

They sat in the tub for nearly an hour before Melanie declared that her fingers were getting "pruney". Robert was always amazed at their ability to be together for such long periods of time without speaking to one another, yet feeling perfectly content. They remained silent as they helped dry one another off with towels. Then Robert helped Melanie lay towels down on the floor to sop up the spill from earlier, and it wasn't until they were in the kitchen eating breakfast that their conversation picked up again.

Melanie sent Robert to his office after breakfast so she could work on the stockings in peace. She laid them out on the kitchen table and set to work with her puff paints. After an hour, they were finished. Each stocking had the recipient's name, as well as a few artistic flourishes. Gretel's had a drawing of a bone and her favorite mouse-shaped chew toy while Robert's had his gold stethoscope and a big red heart on it. She hung them from the stocking hangers she'd put over the fireplace a few weeks ago and admired her handiwork before calling Robert out to see them.

Robert loved the stockings and kissed her under the mistletoe she'd hung up in the living room to show her. He looked around the room again, taking in all the decorations as though seeing them for the first time. This was the homiest his house had ever been before. In just a few short months, Melanie had managed to turn his house, his place of residence, into a real home. Maybe it was that proverbial "woman's touch" that it had needed, but he could feel a marked difference. And while a few months ago, he was resistant to any sort of change or alterations to his house, now it felt vital. He needed Melanie's influence in his house, for she made it feel welcoming and inviting to be there. Seeing the Christmas stocking with his name on it filled him with love for her; as silly and sentimental as it felt, he still felt it.

As he held her in his arms, he thought back to his conversation with Elizabeth when she'd asked him if he'd abdicate the throne for love if he had to. As he looked into Melanie's eyes, he knew what his answer was. He would give up all he had for her love.

Melanie pulled him out of his thoughts by asking if he approved of her decorating skills. "Nobody's ever made anything like this for me before," he said with a smile. "I love it."

"I'm glad you do, now I can go out and buy things to fill it. Stocking stuffers are so much fun to shop for."

They settled onto the couch and watched Christmas movies for the day. At one point in time, Robert grew frustrated because Melanie started rebuffing his efforts to kiss her and unhook her bra. "What's the matter?" he asked, frowning.

"I'm not going to make out with you while 'It's a Wonderful Life' is on!" she cried. "That's practically a sacrilege!" She sat up on the couch and folded her arms.

Robert grabbed the remote and paused the movie. "Better?" he asked, furrowing his brow questioningly.

Melanie laughed and threw her arms around him. "All right, now we can make out," she murmured before he pressed his lips to hers and slipped his hands under her sweater. All thoughts of the movie were forgotten over the next half hour.

They were both breathless by the time they'd wrapped up their make-out session. Melanie abandoned any sense of modesty as she put her bra on again in front of Robert. "What? It's not like you didn't just have your hands all over me," she said when he looked amused while watching her.

Once they were dressed, Robert started the movie again. Christmas movies weren't his favorite thing in the world, but he could see how important they were to Melanie, so he watched them with her, without complaint.

Before their dance lesson that evening, they stopped at the shop where her dress was being altered. She returned to the car where he was waiting, with the dress zipped in a bag for safe-keeping. "I can't wait for Christmas Eve!" she cried excitedly as they drove to their dance lesson.

"Oh, that reminds me," Robert said, "We have to let them know what we prefer for dinner. This year they're serving salmon, veal, or pheasant. Which would you like?"

"The salmon," Melanie replied automatically. "I am a Northwesterner after all! What are you going to get?"

"Which would gross you out the most?"

"The veal, I think," she replied, wrinkling her nose.

Robert considered that for a moment before responding. "Then I'll get the pheasant. I don't want you getting sick at the party now, do I?"

Melanie grinned and shook her head. "How many people do you think there will be?"

Robert shrugged his shoulders. "Surgeons from all over Chicago come to it, and they bring dates…Couple hundred, maybe," he replied. "It's a little cheesy at times, what with all the schmoozing that goes on, but the venue is nice. I think you'll enjoy yourself. Though, I should probably warn you, there won't be many female surgeons, and most of the dates the men bring will be traditional trophy wives, girlfriends, and hired escorts."

"Escorts?" Melanie gasped.

"You'd be surprised," Robert said, "not that I have ever resorted to hiring one myself."

"I wouldn't imagine that you had trouble finding a date," Melanie replied, reaching out and squeezing his hand. "But imagine, maybe seeing a real live courtesan…Do you think any of them will be 'kept' women?"

"Maybe…I don't really know. I've only had a couple colleagues over the years that had mistresses, and it never ended well for them. They all got caught in the end. It's why I'm determined never to have one, myself. Just too much trouble."

Melanie glanced at him with raised eyebrows. "Oh? I'm very glad to hear that. I like to think I'm woman enough for you…"

Robert grinned as her hand went from his up to his cheek. She caressed him lightly. "Most definitely," he agreed.

Melanie sighed and returned her hand to the steering wheel. "I wish we didn't have to keep our relationship a secret," she said wistfully. "I wish it didn't matter to anybody or our jobs."

"Soon enough," Robert replied, sighing as well. As soon as Melanie's OR rotation was completed, he would speak with Anspaugh about stepping down. It couldn't come soon enough as far as he was concerned.

(SCENE)

This was the last dance lesson that Robert had signed them up for, and it came just a few days before the gala. He was glad to have the practice, for he was nervous about dancing in public. Dancing in an empty studio with only his partner and instructor present had given him a strong confidence about his abilities. He hoped it wasn't an overestimation. Public humiliation wasn't what he was interested in at all. He knew Melanie was nervous as well, but she was a very good dancer and had nothing to worry about. He was still concerned about his arm and what other people would think of him. He was sure some people would feel it was inappropriate for him to attend the gala with his med student, let alone dance with her, and they were the ones who would judge him most harshly. And be the most vocal. He wanted to show them how capable he still was of doing things, and that there was nothing inappropriate in his choice of dates.

Joanna, their dance instructor, reassured Robert that he was a very capable and talented dancer and would have no problems showing off his skills at the gala. "You'll do splendidly," she predicted as they left the studio.

"She's right, we're going to be great," Melanie declared confidently. "And if we mess up, there's always slow dancing…"

"True, though it's probably not a good idea for us to slow dance, because you can never keep your hands off me when we do it."

"Hey!"

"It's true! And while I find the idea of you groping me in public to be very exciting, we just can't…"

"I don't grope you when we dance…"

"There's no use denying it," Robert said with a grin. "I know I have that effect on the ladies. I have to fight them off with a stick, usually. Don't be too surprised if I get asked to dance all night long. I'll try to save all the waltzes for you, though."

Melanie sneered at him in jest. "Somebody's getting too big for his britches," she said as they pulled into the garage. "I'll try not to get too jealous over your flock of groupies." What was unspoken, but clearly understood by both, was that Robert most likely would have to dance with at least a few other women to not arouse suspicion. Melanie, on the other hand, would be expected not to dance with any other man but him, unless Robert gave her permission to. She loved Robert, but she understood that he was a jealous lover by nature. He was kind to her, and playful, but she knew that was because she'd earned his trust. If she betrayed that trust…She'd only had a small taste of his harsh side; the side that had made him so feared at work. She wanted to make sure she never gave him reason to show her that side again. To belong to Robert meant to be his entirely. There could be no looking at other men or casual flirtation with anybody else. It was simply impossible. Fortunately, it was so wonderful and exciting to be with him, that there was no need for anything else. And she knew that he gave all that he had and all that he was to her, in return. He was owed nothing less than the same from her.

Once they were in the house and dinner was in the oven, Melanie turned the radio on and they began to dance in the kitchen. "I'd better get all that groping out of my system now before the gala," she murmured while grabbing his backside playfully.

"See? I knew you couldn't resist," Robert said, returning the gesture. "This is exactly what we can't do at the gala." He moved his hand up to cup her breast. "This is also an example of inappropriate behavior."

"That's good to know," she replied before moving her hand down to grasp him through his jeans. "I suppose this is going to be out too," she frowned.

"Actually that will say well covered," he joked. "But your actions definitely are not appropriate for the gala. And so is this." He moved his hand and slipped it in her jeans. "This will definitely not be happening."

Melanie frowned. "I don't think this gala is going to be any fun at all if we can't do any of this stuff."

"Just think of the fun we can have afterwards." Robert leaned in and kissed her, keeping his hand where it was and enjoying the sounds of her moans while he gently touched her. He looked forward to the time when they could stop whatever they were doing and make love wherever they were; the kitchen floor, the couch, the dining room table. Only a few days to wait, and he was glad, because he'd decided he was ready to try. He was getting over his fears of inadequacy, and knew that Melanie would be satisfied with him, no matter what. She would be willing to work with him if necessary, because of his arm. He trusted her enough for that now.

He had gotten prepared over the past few weeks, getting blood tests done. After his accident, he'd received transfused blood, so he'd tested himself every couple months to make sure nothing was wrong. So far everything was negative, which was a huge relief. He'd also made the obligatory stop to a drug store, since he knew Melanie wasn't on birth control. He'd need to supply the appropriate protective measures. He wanted to have a child with Melanie one day but not yet.

Melanie sighed when he was done and sat down in a chair to catch her breath. "I'm looking forward to all that fun," she said quietly, looking at him shyly. He walked behind her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, then kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, Robert," she said while leaning her head back against his shoulder. They remained like that for a few minutes, until the timer went off and they went back to getting dinner ready.

They ate vegetarian lasagna and garlic bread, and sipped red wine as they watched A Christmas Story in the living room. It was a most pleasant evening.

The next morning, Melanie begged Robert to watch White Christmas with her, but he refused. "Call and see if Elizabeth or Susan would like to join you," he suggested.

Susan was free and sounded excited to join her. "I've never been to Robert's house before," she said after Melanie gave her directions. "I'll stop by the store and get some snacks."

Robert stayed long enough to greet Susan and give her a tour of the house before leaving to do some Christmas shopping of his own.

"Melanie, this place is so nice," Susan said incredulously as she poured a bag of popcorn into a bowl. "You definitely need to marry him."

Melanie laughed and shook her head. "I figured I'd try to get through med school first."

"You can be married and in school, there's nothing wrong with that."

Melanie shook her head and waved her hand. "It's just too much to think about right now. Besides, we're still getting to know each other. It's only been a few months since we met. I think people should wait at least a year after they meet before they get married. That way you really know the person."

Susan shrugged her shoulders and picked up the cans of soda Melanie had taken out of the fridge. They walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. "I just think that if you meet 'the one' and you know it, why take it slowly? Might as well get a head start on a life together," she said while unfolding a blanket and placing it around her legs. "I think you two are the real deal, and you might as well get married now and start having babies, because I really want to see what your kids will look like. They will be so adorable!"

Melanie grinned and blushed. "All in good time," she replied before starting the movie. All talk of babies and marriage was forgotten as they watched White Christmas and sang along with the songs.

The movie was just ending by the time Robert returned with several bags that he took to his office to keep hidden. When he joined them in the living room, they had just started Home Alone. "This is my all-time favorite Christmas movie," Susan declared.

"I've never seen it before," Robert said, enjoying the shocked looks on the women's faces.

"You poor, deprived man," Melanie said, snuggling against him and taking his hand in hers under the blanket.

All three laughed through the entire movie. "Hey, did you notice that the oldest cousin looks just like Randi?" Susan pointed out. The others agreed that she did look just like Randi.

When the movie ended, Susan helped them clean up before leaving. "I had a great time today, thank you so much for inviting me over," she said before hugging both of them and leaving.

That night, as Robert and Melanie lay in her bed, they talked about the gala and Christmas and the future. He loved to hear about what she wanted for the future. She had such pure, innocent dreams, and he wanted each of them to come true. Their discussions had slowly begun to include talk of children and marriage, now that they both knew that was where they wanted the relationship to lead. Melanie had concerns about having children during her residency, and Robert had concerns about waiting until her residency was complete. He was already in his forties; he didn't want to wait to start having children until his fifties. He knew what the best solution was; though he wasn't sure he wanted to share it with her yet. He didn't want to scare her off.

He felt that they should marry sometime in the next year, and get pregnant as soon as possible. Having a child in her fourth year of med school was far from ideal, but it was far more ideal than being pregnant in her internship year. Pregnancy would make the hellish hours she'd be working nearly impossible—In fact it could be dangerous to her health to even attempt it. She was going to be doing her toughest rotations this year, and her fourth year would be spent studying and doing lighter rotations. She could be pregnant and do all of that. And when the baby was born, he could retire and become the primary caregiver so that she could focus on her internship and residency. It would be a perfect system, he thought.

"Robert, do you really think we'll be able to do everything?" Melanie asked as she ran her fingers through the soft hair on his chest. "Marriage, children, careers…It's just so much…"

"It'll take work, and lots of effort, but I think we can figure it out," he said, kissing her reassuringly. "You'll see. I think the key will be to stop questioning and analyzing everything and just let it happen. You know?"

"I know, I know, I just don't want any surprises."

"Life's all about surprises. You can't plan for all of them. If we could, I would still have both arms and a surgical career."

"And you never would have met me…And we wouldn't be here now…I suppose you're right, you just have to roll with the punches."

Robert rolled her over until he was on top of her. "Exactly," he said with a wicked grin. He laughed when Melanie wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "We'll roll with the punches, and we'll roll together."

"I like the sound of that." Melanie kissed him and forgot about her worries as she got lost in the love she felt for Robert.

(SCENE)

Melanie's ER rotation ended without much pomp and circumstance, but rather with a slow and uneventful day. She spent the majority of her time practicing sutures, but was able to help a few patients during her shift.

"Well, there were some rough moments here and there, but I'd say that all in all, you did very well, Ms. Hahn," Dr. Weaver said to her when they were standing at the admit desk together. "You still have a lot to learn about the ER, should you wish to make a career out of it. Though, it takes a very aggressive person to succeed down here. I'm not certain you have the right temperament for it. I'm sure you'll find just the right niche, however. I wish you luck in your future endeavors."

"Thanks…"Melanie muttered before walking away to find a patient.

By the end of her shift, she was more than ready for the gala. She had brought in her dress and all the other clothes and items she'd need to change into before leaving with Robert. She went into the women's restroom to change, and put on the dress she'd picked out. It was a cranberry-colored dress that ended at the top of her feet. It had short sleeves and an empire waist. She looked like somebody from a Jane Austen novel, in her opinion. She liked the dress because it was elegant, and didn't show off too much skin. It didn't show off any cleavage, but due to the fact that it was quite form-fitting, it gave off the illusion of revealing more than it truly did. She also loved the floral pattern embroidered on the hem and sleeves. It looked rich without being gaudy. Matching cranberry slippers and elbow-length white gloves completed the ensemble.

It took a while to get her hair curled and done up in the pony tail that women used to wear with dresses like hers, but she was pleased with the results when she was finished. Her last task was to apply simple make-up to her face. She was less "done up" than she'd been with Robert's outfit for the Nutcracker, but she felt a little more comfortable in it. She was wearing the sapphire tennis bracelet, and the pearl necklace he'd given her, though she'd slipped off the sapphire snowflake, as it wouldn't fit the look of her dress. It was simple, it was tasteful, and she felt just as much like a princess as she had at the ballet.

Robert was standing by his car, waiting for her, where she met him after her shift ended. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a cranberry-colored tie and matching silk handkerchief in the breast pocket. He had a black brace on his arm that nearly blended in with his tuxedo. Melanie thought he looked like the most handsome man she'd ever seen, and her heart fluttered as she walked towards him. Once she was standing in front of him, she gazed at him, taking in the clothes and his smile. "Oh Robert," she said, reaching out and touching his tie. "I…You're so handsome…"

Robert looked at the dress she'd picked out for herself and had to admit it was beautiful. She looked elegant and classy, something that was important for the other surgeons to see. As he thought about it more, a slinky black dress would have done nothing good for her reputation in the OR. She had made the right choice, he could see that now. She would definitely impress his colleagues tonight.

Melanie drove them to the banquet hall, and handed the keys off to the valet parking attendant while Robert tipped the young man. "Fancy," she said while wrapping the fur wrap Robert had given her for the ballet around her shoulders. She wrapped her hands around his arm and together, they walked into the gala.

The banquet hall was indeed a lovely venue. Large crystal chandeliers dotted the gilded ceiling, and there were many circular tables covered in crisp white tablecloths along one half of the hall. The other half was a dance floor with a small stage where a string quartet was setting up.

Robert walked them over to the table they'd been assigned to, and they found their nametags. He checked all the other names at their table and his eyebrows rose at one point in time as he read the names. "Interesting…" he murmured before they walked over to the coat-check station. Melanie handed over her fur wrap but kept her purse with her for safe-keeping.

There were people arriving and soon the hall was bustling with energy. Melanie thought everybody looked very elegant and she was glad that her dress was on par with what the other women were wearing. "The women look so beautiful," she commented quietly as they circled the room, her hand still on his arm.

"Not as beautiful as you," Robert said with a smile as he squeezed her hand. He led her over to a group of people and introduced her as his medical student. It was the first of a lot of handshaking that evening.

After a half hour of introductions, they finally ran into somebody from County. "Dr. Anspaugh, how lovely to see you tonight," Melanie said as he shook her hand. "Merry Christmas!"

"And a Merry Christmas to you, my dear," Anspaugh replied. "You look lovely tonight."

Robert beamed and fought the urge to wrap his arm around Melanie. "Merry Christmas to you, Donald," he said, shaking the man's hand. They continued walking around the room and meeting people.

Melanie was starving by the time they returned to their table for dinner. She had almost made it to her seat when Robert's exclamation startled her. "Well, I saw the name tag but I didn't believe it…Peter Benton!" She turned around and saw a tall black man approaching their table. He did not look happy to see Robert.

"Dr. Romano…What a surprise," the man said, not smiling.

"Shouldn't you be at home with your munchkin?"

"Reece is spending Christmas Eve with Roger."

"Well that's good, at first I thought you'd left him home by himself…" Robert smirked before he took Melanie by the arm and pushed her forward. "Peter, I'd like you to meet Melanie Hahn. Miss Hahn is my med student." As Peter shook her hand, Robert continued, "Miss Hahn, this is Dr. Peter Benton, a former colleague."

"Pleased to meet you," Melanie said politely.

Peter looked at Robert shrewdly. "I'd heard a rumor, but I didn't believe it until now…Romano taking on a med student…I never thought I'd see the day…"

The two men engaged in some sort of stare-down, leaving Melanie and Peter's date feeling left out and uncomfortable. Finally, Peter's date intervened by grabbing his arm. "Peter, let's sit down, all right? I think I saw our names on the other side of the table." She led the man away from Robert, and the four seated themselves at their seats.

"What was that all about?" Melanie whispered to Robert. Robert shook his head and didn't reply, so she was left wondering. After a few minutes of silence, waiters arrived and started serving their food. She smiled when the plate of roasted salmon was placed in front of her. "Just like home," she said approvingly.

Another waiter came by to pour wine for the patrons, and stopped when he came to Melanie. "I'm sorry, it's the law to card anybody if I'm unsure of your age," he said quietly to her. Melanie flushed and quickly opened her purse to take out her id card.

Robert was watching the exchange and trying not to bring attention to it. He was mortified to think that his girlfriend looked young enough to pass for underage, and wondering what must the other people at their table be thinking. A quick glance around the table showed that nobody else seemed to notice, thankfully.

Once the waiter had been satisfied at Melanie's age and poured her wine, the meal progressed normally after that. Melanie was mostly silent, listening to all the surgeons talk and boast about their latest achievements. She could tell this was a "dates should be seen and not heard" occasion. Robert joined in the boasting as well, praising Melanie's abilities to the table. "Miss Hahn is an excellent diagnostician as well as unmatched in her suturing skills. I am fully confident in her OR rotation that starts in the New Year," he said loudly, catching Peter Benton's eye.

"Sounds impressive for a third year student," Peter said graciously. "When I had a third year med student, he could barely manage to do anything on his own let alone make diagnoses."

Melanie smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you, Dr. Benton," she replied politely before glancing at Robert. "I think a med student is only as good as her teacher. Dr. Romano is an _excellent_ instructor." From under the table, she could feel Robert's hand squeeze her thigh lovingly. She couldn't tell by the look on Dr. Benton's face if he had noticed the subtle insult against him, but she could see by the glare on her face that his date had. Melanie would try to steer clear of her.

"I agree, that is quite advanced for a third year student," a handsome man across their table interjected. He gave Melanie a wink and a toothy grin before holding his hand out to shake hers. "Eddie Dorset, Northwestern," he said in introduction to her.

"Pleased to meet you," Melanie replied politely.

"You lucked out, Rocket," Eddie said, his grin planted firmly on his face. "Such a pretty med student…" He looked Melanie up and down. "You'll have to save me a dance, Miss Hahn."

Robert's hand was still on her thigh, but his squeeze grew tighter and less loving, more possessive. "Thank you, Dr. Dorset, I'll do my best," she replied coolly.

The meal continued without any incident, though Robert had to restrain himself from reaching over and taking a taste of Melanie's salmon. It looked delicious, even though his pheasant was quite lovely too. A dessert of petit fours followed dinner, and he decided that they needed to get some to share at his house some time. He envisioned feeding them to her in between lovemaking sessions. To keep up her strength, of course.

When the meal was completed, the guests got up and began to walk around to speak with one another, or to move to the dance floor. Melanie wanted to dance with Robert, but he was a little standoffish about it. "Did you want to dance with somebody else?" she asked, looking worried.

"No, I thought we could walk around for a while," Robert said, holding his arm out to her and smiling when she took it. "I want to introduce you to more people."

Melanie could tell he was putting off dancing, but didn't push him. Instead, she walked with him around the room and talked to more people. He seemed to want to introduce her to everybody at the gala, and it took nearly an hour before they had finished.

"Now can we dance?" she asked, less patiently than she had the first time.

Robert took a deep breath and looked over towards the dance floor. "I suppose," he replied before slowly guiding her to the dance floor. When they got there, he stopped and looked around again. "It's pretty full," he said. "Maybe we should wait a while."

Melanie frowned. "You spent all that money and time on dance lessons, and now you don't want to try it out," she said quietly. "I think you're going to do just fine. Let's just do one dance and if it doesn't work out, we'll stop…"

Robert shook his head and held out his hand to her. "It's not that," he said in a whisper, "You look so beautiful tonight that I'm not sure I can keep my hands off of you…"

"Enough of the excuses, let's dance!" Melanie said, stepping out onto the floor and pulling Robert along with her. They took their normal positions, and began to dance. Within a minute, both of them had forgotten any inhibitions and let the music take over.

Robert tried not to enjoy himself too much, but it was difficult not to. He hoped his joy didn't show on his face. Rocket Romano was not very well known for joy. People would know something was going on if he was _too_ happy. Melanie was thrilled as well, laughing and crying out whenever he spun her around or dipped her. She tried to restrain herself as well, though not very successfully.

"Oh, we're so good! We should become professional ballroom dancers," Melanie said after several dances when they had stopped to rest.

"If the doctor thing doesn't work out for you, we can go on the road and become professional dancers," Robert promised with a smile.

Before they could return to the dance floor, Dr. Dorset approached Melanie and asked her to dance. She had no desire to dance with him, and knew that Robert disapproved. "I…I…" she stammered before Robert intervened.

Dr. Anspaugh was walking past them, and Robert grabbed his arm. "Donald, Miss Hahn has been looking for you," he said, pushing the older man over to Melanie. "Miss Hahn, now you can have your dance with Anspaugh."

"Oh, wonderful!" Melanie cried before latching onto Dr. Anspaugh and pulling him onto the dance floor. "I've been waiting all night for this!"

Robert watched as they danced away before turning to Dorset and shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry, Fast Eddie, maybe next time," he said before walking away to the bar and ordering a gin and tonic.

Dorset followed him over to the bar and ordered a gin and tonic of his own. "Like I said, you are a lucky man, Rocket," he said casually as they stood at the bar. He looked carefully at Robert's outfit, and then out to Melanie, and grinned. "You're color-coordinated tonight," he commented. "How sweet…"

"Miss Hahn asked if I would and I didn't see the harm in it," Robert lied.

"So…How is she in bed? I assume you've tapped that," Dorset said coarsely.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no, Miss Hahn and I maintain a very professional relationship." He tipped his glass back and swallowed the entire thing in one gulp.

"Oh? Well then you won't mind if I do…" Dorset, not to be outdone, drank his drink in one try as well. "I think she might be a wonderful Christmas present, if you know what I mean…"

"I think I do know what you mean, Dorset," Robert said stiffly. "I'm sorry to tell you, that Miss Hahn has a boyfriend and she seems quite loyal to him."

"Well, that doesn't matter," Dorset replied lightly. "I don't have a problem with that."

Well I have a problem with that, Robert thought to himself, feeling his rage towards the man rising inside him. "If you will excuse me, Dorset, I need to speak to one of my colleagues about something, so, if you don't mind…" He set his glass down and walked away before he punched Dorset in the face and disgraced himself in public.

While Robert and Dorset exchanged words, Melanie enjoyed her dance with Dr. Anspaugh. "So, Ms. Hahn, I have been curious since Robert took you under his wing to know what you thought of it. He has a reputation of being difficult to please. I hope he hasn't been too harsh to you," he said while they danced.

Melanie smiled and shook her head. "He has his moments, of course, but for the most part he is very good at explaining things to me. He's very patient, and I think I've learned a lot from him so far," she replied. "I can't wait to start my OR rotation."

Anspaugh smiled. "I must admit, I'm impressed to hear how positive an impact he's had," he said incredulously. "Robert seems to be making great strides in his attitude towards others. I'm very glad to hear this."

When they'd finished their dance, Melanie smiled to see Robert waiting for her nearby. "Hello," she greeted him. "Did you miss me?"

"Terribly." He wrapped her arm in his and started to walk onto the dance floor before Anspaugh stopped him.

"Robert, your med student has been singing your praises tonight," he said, smiling. "It sounds as though you've come across a hidden talent in the education department none of us knew about."

"Everything she told you is true, I assure you," Robert laughed before being pulled onto the dance floor by Melanie.

They spent the next hour dancing together, not caring what anybody thought about them. They didn't stop until they were completely exhausted. "This has been the best Christmas Eve ever," she said as they walked towards the coat-check station. "We definitely should do this again next year!"

(SCENE)

Robert resisted the urge to kiss Melanie, and managed to wait until they were in his car before doing so. "My dear you were wonderful tonight," he said when they pulled away from one another.

They recapped the evening while driving back to his house, and neither was tired enough to sleep when they arrived. They stopped in the kitchen for a while to find a snack before retiring to Melanie's room.

Once they had made it to her door, they stopped. Melanie wrapped her arms around Robert's shoulders and they kissed for several minutes against her door. As he reached around and unzipped her dress, she took off his tie and threw it on the floor. It took quite some time for them to be sufficiently unclothed for one another's tastes, but eventually they were.

As Robert pressed her against the door, and ran his fingers over her bra, Melanie unzipped his pants. "Robert…" she gasped, "I don't want to stop! I think we should go to your room…" She had never been in Robert's bedroom, even after all the time she'd spent at his house. It was an unspoken understanding between the two of them that the first time she'd go into his room would be the night they made love the first time.

"Are you sure?" Robert asked, unhooking her bra and kissing her breasts.

"Yes!"

Robert continued to kiss her for a couple minutes before standing up and looking into her eyes. "All right, let's go," he said, his voice husky with desire.

Each time they made it partway down the hall, they stopped and kissed a while longer. When they were halfway down, Robert had Melanie pinned against the wall and was kissing her neck while she slipped her hand down to grasp him. He moaned loudly into her neck and she responded by using her other hand to grab his backside and press him tightly against herself.

"Well, well, having a fun evening, eh?" A female voice called out to them from somewhere. "Don't let me stop you, though you might want to go into your own room…"

Melanie screamed and let go of Robert, who groaned and quickly reached down to pull his pants back up. She covered her chest with her hands and hid behind him. "Who is that?" she cried, terrified.


	18. Christmas with the Romanos

Robert was looking at the ground, wanting to die. This was the worst timing ever in the history of worst timing. He turned to glance at Melanie and murmured an apology to her before turning around again. He looked down the hallway and frowned. "Mother, you're here early," he said as calmly as possible.

"Well, I thought I'd come early, so I could wake up on Christmas morning and spend more time with you," Robert's mother explained as she walked down the hall to where they were standing. "I tried calling but nobody was home. So, I used my spare key and let myself in. I left a note for you on your bedroom door, though you haven't gotten that far yet…"

Melanie was frantically putting her dress on again while Robert shielded her body from view. She'd never been more humiliated in her entire life. Tears pricked her eyes as she saw Robert's mother moving closer towards them.

"Who is this lovely creature?" she asked once she was standing in front of the couple. "Is this your girlfriend? Robby, do you have a girlfriend and you never told me about her?"

Robert rubbed his temples before making the introductions. "Mother, this is Melanie Hahn, my girlfriend; Melanie, this is my mother, Margaret."

"Call me Peggy, everybody does," Peggy said lightly. "Step on out into the light, I want to take a good look at you."

Melanie sighed and stepped out from behind Robert to stand next to Peggy. The older woman looked closely at her, walking around to see her from all angles before nodding her head. "Robby, she's adorable!" she declared after a minute. "I can see why you fell for her." Melanie blushed and Peggy laughed. "Don't be shy, I can tell just by looking at you that you're a sweet girl, and I can tell by looking at him that my Robby's awfully sweet on you." She threw her arms around Melanie's shoulders and hugged her tightly. "I just know we're going to be dear friends."

Melanie tried her best to smile and thanked Peggy before excusing herself to go downstairs. She ran down the stairs faster than Robert had ever seen her move before.

"Well, don't let me interrupt your evening," Peggy said to her son. "I was just on my way to the guest room. I'll see you in the morning."

Robert sighed as his mother walked away, leaving him alone in the hallway. He followed after Melanie and found her in the living room. She was sobbing, face down, on the couch. He knelt down beside her and put his hand on her back. "Melanie? Mother's gone to bed now. Would you like to come back upstairs?" he asked quietly.

Melanie slowly sat up and looked accusingly at him. "Are you kidding?" she hissed. "I can't sleep in your room with you when your mother's here. She'll think we're having sex!"

"But we were going to…"

"Oh, you can forget that! So not gonna happen!" She burst into tears again. "I wanted our first time together to be memorable and magical," she wailed, burying her head on his shoulder.

"This is definitely memorable…" Melanie sat back up and glared at Robert so intensely that he wondered if this was how he looked with his deadly glare. It wasn't pleasant. "Sorry, I shouldn't joke about this. It's just, if you knew my mother, you'd know she couldn't care less what we got up to. In fact, she'd approve of it. What you saw up there is how she always is. She's frivolous and gregarious, nothing like me. I've never really understood her, but she has a good heart. She just wants me to be happy."

Melanie sniffled and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I just can't with her there, I just can't," she whimpered. "I'm sorry…"

Robert hugged her and moved to sit down next to her on the couch. "It's ok, we'll just wait for another time," he assured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and hugging her tightly.

Melanie curled up next to him. "What am I going to do? She's in my room! My nightgown is in there," she said sadly. Robert looked around the room, trying to think of a solution. "Maybe I should go back to my dorm…If only I hadn't left my car at the hospital."

Robert didn't want her to leave, and the only solution he could think of was something she might not be interested in. "Why don't you sleep in my room tonight and I'll sleep here on the couch?" he asked quietly.

Melanie was silent for a while before wrapping her fingers through his. "I suppose we can both sleep in your room," she said, changing her mind from earlier. "But we'll just sleep…"

Robert kissed her cheek and stood up, keeping his hand in hers. "I think that can be arranged," he replied graciously, leading her upstairs again. He silently cursed the fact that he'd given his mother a spare house key as they walked down to his room. His perfect night had been ruined…

Melanie didn't have much energy to look around the bedroom once they arrived, and Robert only turned on the lamp on his table, so she couldn't see much. But from what she could see, his room was rather dark, with mostly hardwood flooring and paneling. It was very masculine, and slightly cold, in terms of feeling inviting. The bed was gigantic and clearly the focal point of the room. The frame was wrought-iron and where her bed was comforting, his was quite intimidating.

"Make yourself at home," Robert said after a minute when he noticed how nervous Melanie looked. He loaned her his best robe to use as a nightgown and changed into his own pajama bottoms while she was in the bathroom. He settled into his usual side of the bed and waited for her to join him. He sighed as he realized what would _not_ be happening that night, after so much time spent mentally preparing himself for it. It was frustrating and disappointing, but he had to keep those feelings to himself. Melanie was upset and mortified and that might take lot of time for her to work through. He had to be supportive of her needs.

Melanie emerged from the bathroom a short while later, wearing Robert's soft, black silk robe. She felt her stomach flutter to see him in his bed, and know she was going to be joining him there. She knew it was silly; they'd shared a bed countless times. And she was hardly a stranger to him or his body, but it still felt different because this was _his_ room. His inner sanctum. It meant that they would soon be truly intimate, and things would be different after that. She wanted to be with Robert so badly, but a part of her was still scared. What if she was no good? What if it hurt? What if he laughed at her?

Her heart pounded as she slowly walked to the bed. It was so large, that when she got into it, there was room between them for at least two people. She was used to having Robert right next to her, and felt he was much too far away from her for her tastes. "I don't mind if we snuggle," she called out shyly to him. He turned and looked over at her, a smile on his face. They each moved over until they met in the middle of the bed. "This is much better," she said as she rested her head on his chest.

They sat in bed, talking quietly about what they would have been doing had the circumstances been different. "Maybe tomorrow night instead," Melanie murmured before drifting off to sleep. Robert nodded his head in agreement before falling asleep as well.

(SCENE)

Melanie woke up the next morning feeling slightly disoriented to be in a bed she wasn't used to. It only took a few moments to remember where she was, though. She had moved around in her sleep, and was now on the other side. She slid back over to Robert, curled up against his warm body, and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her robe had come undone and slipped off sometime in the night, but she didn't want to move too much and wake him, so she settled in next to him and drifted back to sleep for a while.

Robert stirred about an hour later, and squeezed Melanie close when he felt his arm around her. "Merry Christmas," he whispered in her ear while she squealed. She turned to face him and he grinned to see the robe had fallen off. Naked Melanie waking up in his bed was the best Christmas present he could think of.

"Merry Christmas," she said before leaning over and kissing him. "That's your Christmas kiss," she explained when she pulled away from him. "Or your Christmas morning kiss…I suppose there may be more kisses throughout the day…"

"I hope so," Robert said, reaching over with his good hand to caress the soft skin of her arm. "I'd hate to think that was the last kiss I'd get all day." He moved his hand over to touch her chest, causing Melanie to sigh and lie back on the bed. "I don't want to stop, but we probably should get breakfast ready. My mother will want to get the turkey going soon too…"

"I don't want to get up!" Melanie cried, pulling him down on top of her and wrapping her arms and legs around him. "Let's stay in here all day." Robert began to tickle her, which he knew drove her crazy. She screeched and soon they were wrestling on the bed before they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Robby?" Peggy called out through the door. "Robby, I made some waffles and bacon for breakfast. I figured you and Melanie probably need to be replenished after a long night together. Sounds like you're still enjoying yourselves, so I'll just leave the tray for you two out here and you can come get it whenever you're finished."

Melanie glared at her boyfriend and sat up in the bed, before fishing the robe out of the sheets and putting it on. Robert looked from the door back to her again and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll have the locks changed…and I won't give her a new key…" he promised.

"Good plan," she replied before getting up and locking herself in the bathroom to take a shower.

Robert walked to the door and opened it up to find the tray of hot food on the floor. He bent down and carefully picked it up before closing the door again. He quickly ate all the bacon before Melanie came out of the bathroom and joined him for waffles.

"Breakfast in bed, I could get used to this," she said as he fed her a bite.

"It is rather nice," he agreed before taking a bite for himself.

When they had finished, Robert gathered the dishes and placed them back on the tray. "I'll take these downstairs and keep mother occupied while you go to the spare room and find your clothes. Can't wear my robe all day," he said, looking sad. "When you're done, we can open presents…"

Melanie quickly found a nice outfit to wear for the day in her room and changed into it. Peggy was just finishing the dishes by the time Melanie walked into the kitchen. "Merry Christmas! Oh, you look lovely, dear," Peggy said in greeting, a kind twinkle in her eyes. "You look even prettier in proper lighting."

"Thank you," Melanie replied, "You look lovely today too." She looked at the pile of wet dishes in the drainer. "Would you like some help drying those?"

Peggy waved her off with her towel. "Nonsense, dear, I can do this in a jiffy. Why don't you join Robert in the living room? He wants to open presents with you in private, I believe," she replied.

Melanie left the kitchen and walked into the living room. She went over to Robert and wrapped her arm around his waist. He was petting Gretel and standing by the fireplace, where he'd just lit a fire. She looked to the stockings and was surprised to see hers next to his, filled with presents. "When did you do this?" she cried, pointing to the stocking.

Robert grinned and shook his head. "When did you fill ours?" he asked.

"I didn't, Santa did," she replied defiantly.

"Well, Santa must have filled yours at the same time too, then."

Melanie grinned and grabbed Gretel's stocking. "Open hers first," she commanded before taking the other two stockings down and joining him on the couch. She snuggled against him and enjoyed listening to his exclamations over the dog toys and biscuits she'd wrapped for the dog.

"These are her favorite treats," Robert said, smiling. He loved when people did nice things for his dog. Knowing how frightened Melanie had been of Gretel when she'd first come to his house made the gifts even more wonderful. He took a red bow off the bone at the bottom of the stocking and tossed it to the dog, who scooped it up and ran to her pillow to chew on it. "All right, now it's our turn," he said, looking forward to seeing Melanie's reaction to his gifts. "You first."

Melanie bit her lip and reached into the stocking. Each present had been individually wrapped, a feat she had no idea how he had managed. "My shampoo!" she cried excitedly after unwrapping the bottle. "It's my favorite!" There was also body spray of the same scent. Everything else in the stocking was from Oregon. "Oh this is all wonderful!" she cried, looking at the package of smoked salmon, the jar of marionberry jam, and the box of Brigittine Monk fudge. "Where did you find all this stuff?"

Robert grinned and shook his head. "I have my ways," he said quietly. Melanie threw her arms around him and covered his face with kisses. When she was done kissing him, she sat back and nervously watched as he opened his presents. She gave him copious amounts of chocolate, which she knew was his favorite. She also gave him a bottle of her favorite aftershave lotion that he wore whenever they went out dancing. "It drives me crazy when you wear that," she whispered with a grin. She also gave him a blue tie, "It's your color, you know," gold cuff links, "To match your watch," and an orange, which elicited a look of confusion on his part. "My mother always put one in the bottom of our stockings," she explained. "I guess they used to do that in the old days, like pioneer times. Christmas was the only time they could get fresh oranges so it was a really big deal."

"It does look delicious," he said, putting it down on the coffee table and kissing her. "I love all of this, thank you."

He stood up and walked to the Christmas tree to hand the presents to her. "Now, your bracelet was going to be your main present, but I gave that to you early. So, I hope you don't feel short-changed in comparison…" he said before handing her a large, thin present. "I didn't want to shower you with more jewelry because I know that makes you uncomfortable, so I did my best to find other ways to show you my affection."

Melanie took the large present and carefully unwrapped the paper, much to his dismay. "You're not one of those paper-savers are you?" He reached out and crumpled the paper before tossing it into the fireplace.

"That could have been reused!" she pouted before looking down at what he had given her. "Oh!" she cried, admiring the now-framed cross-stitch alphabet she'd spent so much time working on. "It's beautiful!" He'd chosen a matte silver frame that complimented the green and blues of the stitching.

"I was thinking at first that we could hang it up in the spare room, to make it really yours, but then I thought that maybe we could put it up in my room…"

Melanie hugged the frame and her eyes shone bright with tears. "That would be wonderful," she said quietly.

Her next gift was a beautiful pair of green suede gloves. "So your hands won't get cold when you drive," he explained.

The last present she opened was a smaller silver frame like the one that held her cross-stitch. It was empty. "I thought we could put a picture of us in there," he said quietly before Melanie burst into happy tears and threw her arms around him again. "This is the sweetest, most romantic gift I've ever gotten before," she sniffed while he scooped her up onto his lap and held her tightly in his arms. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she slid off his lap, back onto the couch, and informed him it was his turn for presents.

"I thought long and hard about these," she said nervously. "You're really hard to shop for, you know. You already have so much stuff, and I'm not exactly rich, but I hope you'll like what I came up with. I decided to go with homemade presents…" Robert looked intrigued as he opened the first one, which turned out to be a binder with recipes in it. "These are all the recipes I want to make for you," she explained. "Each weekend you can pick out what to try and I'll cook it for you."

"That's a wonderful idea!" he said earnestly. "These sound delicious, I can't wait to try them."

"And there's room for more too, if we find new ones to add to it."

The next gift was small, about the size of an index card. It turned out to be a homemade coupon book. He looked through it and read some of them. "One free shoulder rub" "One free foot massage" "One free batch of cookies," was among them. "What a great idea," he marveled. He kept looking through them until he reached a section in the back entitled "Naughty coupons." The coupons were just that, offers for services of a sexual nature that she felt comfortable doing. He pointed to one and grinned. "That's right, I really liked it when you did that last month," he said.

"I remember," Melanie replied with a smile. "It made you scream like a girl…"

"Hey, shh!" he hissed, glancing towards the door to make sure his mother was still in the kitchen. When she didn't make an appearance, he went back to reading. "Oh, I'll definitely redeem this one soon…I've been wanting to try that out with you."

When he'd finished reading the coupon book, he ran and hid it in his office so nobody would find it before returning to the living room. "I have one last present for you," Melanie said, wrapping her arm around him when he was sitting on the couch again next to her. "But it'll have to wait for tonight…" She grinned and kissed his cheek.

Robert glanced at her and chuckled. "Really…well I can't wait for tonight then," he replied before kissing her.

They made out for a few minutes before Melanie pulled away and caught her breath. "I should probably go help your mother," she said sadly, "she's been in there all this time giving us privacy. That was really nice of her."

Robert sighed and let go of her. "It was very nice of her," he agreed. "All right, you go and I'll be in my office if you need anything."

"Did you get some good presents?" Peggy asked from the stove when Melanie walked into the kitchen.

"Oh yes," Melanie replied, "your son is a champion present-giver."

"He gets that from me…"

"Can I help with anything? I'm still learning how to cook, but I'm a quick learner."

"The turkey is in the oven and I was just going to get started peeling and cutting up the potatoes. Would you like to do that?"

Melanie started working on the potatoes and she and Peggy chatted together. Peggy liked to talk a lot, another thing Robert inherited from her, so Melanie mostly listened. She had just set the pot of potatoes on the counter to sit until later in the morning when Peggy informed her of something that made her jaw drop. "You invited Robert's brother and his family?"

Peggy smiled. "Yes, they're busy tomorrow when I usually visit them, so I told them to join us here for lunch instead," she replied. "It will be good for my sons to see one another again. They don't normally get along very well…"

Melanie was rendered speechless for a minute before her senses returned. "Would you excuse me for a minute? I'll be right back," she said before hurrying out of the room and over to Robert's office.

"What's the matter?" he asked, looking up from his computer when she walked into the room.

"Your mother invited your brother and his family over to lunch today…I thought you should know…" she said, her eyes wide.

Robert shook his head and sighed. "I should have known she'd try something like that…I've never known a more meddlesome person…"

"You can't univite them…Maybe it won't be so bad."

"Oh, it'll be bad. Really bad."

"Well it's just one meal for one day. And then your family will leave and we can be alone again. And when we're alone…" Melanie winked at Robert and put her arm around his shoulders.

"That thought is the only thing getting me through this," Robert replied, leaning his head on her chest and listening to her heartbeat for a minute.

"You mom has everything under control in the kitchen," she said a while later. "I was thinking I could go to the hospital and pick up my car. I don't want it to stay too long in the parking lot, or it'll get towed. I'll be back in time for lunch."

"How are you going to get there?"

"I'll walk to the El."

Robert considered it for a minute before standing up. "I'll go with you," he said resolutely. "My mother can handle things here and I need to get away from her for a while."

Melanie put on her new suede gloves and bundled up for the cold walk to the El. Robert informed Peggy where they were going and also put on warm clothes before leaving. They walked hand-in-hand all the way to the El, talking about how cold it was outside.

"It's just about the right temperature for a polar bear plunge," Robert said as they boarded the El. "Maybe for New Year's…"

"You are crazy! There's no way I'll be joining you…I'll wave at you from the shore," Melanie said as they sat down on the nearly-empty train.

"Oh, really? We'll just see about that…"

"No, really, I won't be stepping even a toe into that freezing lake!"

Robert chuckled and shook his head. "We'll see…"

Neither of them wanted to go into the hospital, for fear that they'd get stuck having to help out, so they went directly to the garage and found Melanie's car. "Do you think you should buy some gifts for your family for today? At least for your niece…How old is she?" Melanie asked as they drove out of the garage and back towards Robert's house.

"Thirteen, I think," Robert replied with a frown. "I suppose I could get her."

Melanie spotted a variety store that was open and pulled over. "Let's see what we can find here," she said, stepping out of the car. Robert followed her reluctantly into the store. They walked up and down the aisles, trying to find something that would appeal to a young teenager.

"I haven't seen Valerie in a few years and the last time I did she was really into something called 'Pokemon'. I have no idea what that is, but she tried to explain it all to me."

"Hmm, well maybe we can find something for her that's a little more grown up…" Melanie replied, furrowing her brow and walking to the cosmetic section. "This might work," she said, pointing to a box with several small bottles of nail polish and jars of colored body glitter. "This is definitely fun."

Robert picked up the box. "That works for me," he replied before walking off. "Now I have to get something for my brother and his wife."

"What do they like?"

"Steve likes anything sports and Emma likes spending Steve's money."

They walked around and Robert picked out a coffee table book about the Chicago Bears for Steve and Melanie found a necklace with a crystal teardrop on it. "All right, let's get out of here," Robert said, walking towards the cash register. Melanie trotted after him, hoping that his family would enjoy their presents.

When they returned home, Melanie ran upstairs and wrapped the presents while Robert joined his mother in the kitchen. "Mother, why did you invite Steve?" he asked coolly.

"They're going out of town tomorrow and I didn't want to miss seeing them," Peggy replied, pouring herself a glass of wine. "And besides, it's high time you started getting along with your brother. I won't always be here and your father's not around, so you two will be all you have anymore."

Robert frowned and shook his head. "Mother, you're still very young," he replied. "You should have asked me before inviting them over…"

"Oh Robby, you're always so sensitive when it comes to Steve. He's not so bad."

Robert didn't respond, but looked around the room instead. He spotted the wine bottle on the counter and walked over to it. It was more than half empty. He held it up to show her and cocked his head curiously.

Peggy waved her hand and chuckled. "Oh Robby, it's just a little wine. Don't be such a stick in the mud," she said.

Robert rolled his eyes and set the bottle back on the counter. Some things never changed. He walked out of the kitchen and nearly ran into Melanie who was coming to find him. "Everything's ready for your family," she said with a smile.

"That's great," he said, trying to muster a smile, and failing. "I'll be in my office until they arrive. Why don't you help mother? I'm sure she could use some assistance."

Melanie frowned as she watched him walk away. She hated that his family was ruining the holiday for him. She wanted more than anything to go after him and hold him until he felt better, but she knew he needed to be left alone. With a sigh, she walked into the kitchen to help Peggy.

(SCENE)

Robert's brother and his family arrived just before lunch was ready to be served. "Steve…Merry Christmas," Robert said stiffly in greeting as they walked into the house and started taking off their coats and gloves.

"Merry Christmas to you," Steve said just as stiffly.

"Uncle Robert!" Valerie cried, running up to him and throwing her arms around him. She pulled back and looked at Robert's bad arm. "I heard about your accident…I wanted to come see you…"

Robert smiled weakly. "It's good to see you again, Valerie," he replied quietly, giving her a hug. After greeting Emma, he introduced Melanie to them. He saw Steve and Emma exchange a knowing look after shaking Melanie's hand.

Robert handed out the gifts, and they all seemed happy with them, especially Valerie who tore into the box and proceeded to apply glitter to her cheeks. "I love this, thanks Uncle Robert!" she cried.

Melanie smiled and looked at the box. "You know, that orange nail polish will go great with the body glitter you have on," she said lightly.

Valerie looked down at the box and smiled. "You're right," she declared. The two were soon engrossed in a discussion about school and boys. The others stood around in stony silence.

When they sat down to eat, Peggy and Melanie carried platters and bowls of food to the table, finishing with the whole turkey. Normally Robert would have insisted on carving the turkey, as the man of the house and a surgeon, it was only fitting. However, he wasn't able to this year. His mother was too soused to be trusted with a sharp knife, and he'd rather gut himself than give the honors to his brother or sister-in-law, so that left Melanie. He hoped Melanie wouldn't throw up while performing her first surgery. He handed the knife and serving fork to her and smiled. "Think of this as your first patient," he said lightly. Melanie paled slightly at the thought, but followed his directions and carved the turkey almost perfectly.

The family sat and ate in silence for a few minutes. Peggy noticed that Melanie hadn't taken any turkey or stuffing and frowned. "Is there something wrong with the turkey, dear?" she asked, while pouring herself another glass of wine.

"Oh, I'm sure it's wonderful, but I'm a vegetarian," Melanie replied politely.

"Vegetarian," Steve sneered, "This is Chicago, you can't be a vegetarian here…"

"Melanie is free to be whatever she wants to be," Robert joined in, coming to his girlfriend's defense.

"How liberal of you," Steve replied sarcastically. "What's next? Will you be voting Democrat at the next presidential election?"

Robert and Steve launched into an argument that Melanie couldn't follow, but seemed to be about something more than liberalism. She took the opportunity to look at Steve very carefully. He was everything Robert was not—tall, olive-toned, and he had a full head of thick wavy dark hair. He looked nothing like his younger brother. He had the body of a football player. She could see why Robert resented him so much, but she still thought Robert was just as handsome and wonderful as she ever had.

"That's just like you, Steve, always looking at the bright side of life," Robert snapped at one point in time, emphasizing his statement by jabbing his fork at his brother. A piece of turkey flew off the fork and landed on Steve's lap. Robert burst out laughing while his brother fumed in silence.

"Robby, I love hearing you laugh," Peggy said, reaching out and patting her son on the arm. "You never laugh enough, that's your problem. You're too uptight." She tried to pour herself more wine, but missed the glass by about an inch and spilled red wine all over the white tablecloth. "Oops…somebody moved the glass…" she chuckled before Robert turned and tried to swipe the bottle out of her hand.

"You've had too much, mother. That's enough now," he growled. He looked around the table at his family and wished he was anywhere but there. Hawaii, Fiji, Siberia…Just as long as he was there with Melanie, and his family was nowhere in sight. He glanced over at Melanie and shook his head subtly. She looked at him sadly for a minute before smiling and winking. Not too much longer now, he could hear her thinking. It made him feel hopeful that he'd get through the meal with his sanity intact after all.

"Steve, get mother a glass of water, will you?" he called out to his brother as he continued wrestling the bottle of wine out of his mother's hands. "Mother let go!" Peggy finally let go and Robert set the bottle down across the table so she couldn't get to it anymore.

Melanie looked down at her plate of mashed potatoes, corn, and the roll she'd buttered and tried to ignore what was going on around her. Her family had moments of difficulty but nothing like the dysfunction of Robert's family. She felt terrible for him and knew that he was really upset that she was witnessing it. It was no wonder he tried to spend as little time as possible with them. Valerie was all right, though, and it was a shame that he wasn't able to spend more time with her because of the problems he had with Steve. She glanced at Valerie, who looked like she was going to cry. It couldn't be fun for a kid her age to spend a holiday this way.

"Did you get anything fun for Christmas?" she asked Valerie loudly, over the din of the adults squabbling.

"I got some CDs and computer games," Valerie replied quietly, pushing the food around on her plate without eating it. "And a new skirt."

"Oh, that sounds nice," Melanie said with a smile.

"What did you get?"

"I got some shampoo and body spray, my favorite kind. And I got a nice bracelet," Melanie said, holding her hand out to show Valerie.

The girl cooed and her eyes lit up. "Did Uncle Robert give that to you?" she asked. When Melanie nodded, she smiled. "He must love you a lot!"

Melanie blushed and glanced at him. He was still arguing with his brother. "I think he does," she said quietly. "I love him a lot."

Valerie grinned and giggled. She went back to eating her meal more heartily.

(SCENE)

The family only stayed a couple hours before leaving. And much to Robert's pleasure, they took his mother home with them. "Alone at last!" he cried after shutting the door behind them.

Melanie walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "We made it through Christmas dinner," she said triumphantly. "I think we can make it through just about anything now."

Robert groaned and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry you had to witness the horror that is my family," he said quietly as she kissed his cheek. "I promise you won't be subjected to them very often. And mother behaved herself much better than she usually does, so that's good."

"Oh Robert, every family has quirks and issues they have to deal with," Melanie reassured him. "One day you will probably meet my family and maybe you'll think they're just terrible."

Robert hadn't ever thought about meeting Melanie's family before. Her mother would be less than ten years older than he was, which would be awkward to say the very least. "How old are your siblings?" he asked casually.

"Mara is thirty and David is thirty two," Melanie replied before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him passionately. They kissed for a few minutes before making their way to the couch and sitting down.

Robert lay down on the couch and wrapped his arm around Melanie's waist as she lay down next to him. "I'm so tired," he said, closing his eyes and resting his head on her chest. "Too much food and fighting always wears me out."

"It's still early in the afternoon," Melanie murmured, closing her eyes as well. "A nap is always good." Both of them were sound asleep within minutes.

(SCENE)

It was dark by the time they awoke and Gretel needed to go outside badly. "Do you want me to make you a sandwich?" Melanie asked as Robert took the dog out.

"No thanks, I'm still full from lunch," he replied as the door slammed shut.

Melanie stood in the kitchen with her arms folded, thinking about what the plans for the evening were. Her stomach fluttered nervously. Was she really ready? She hoped so. Robert looked at her through the window and waved; she waved back at him and knew the answer. She was definitely ready.

She wrote a note to Robert and left it in the kitchen before walking out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room where she'd wrapped presents earlier that day. There were red bows and a spool of red ribbon still on her bed, so she grabbed them and the tape dispenser and walked down to Robert's room. It was time to get ready for his final present of the day.

SCENE)

Robert came back into the house after spending some time with Gretel outside. He fed her and looked around, wondering where Melanie had gone. He didn't notice her note until Gretel walked past it. "Come upstairs to your room in fifteen minutes. Be naked when you arrive." He was quite intrigued and determined to follow her instructions to the letter.

He walked up the stairs and stopped at the top before removing his clothing and leaving them in a heap by the top step and slowly walked down the hallway, feeling both free and slightly foolish for being naked in his own home. He knocked a few times on the door when he reached his room. "Melanie? Are you there?" he called out.

There was silence for a minute before he heard her respond. "Come in." He opened the door and stepped into the room. He slowly walked towards his bed and broke into a huge grin when he saw Melanie sitting on the bed waiting for him. She was wearing strategically-placed bows and ribbons and nothing else. "You once told me that all you wanted for Christmas was me, naked, wrapped in bows and ribbons," Melanie said, standing up and carefully walking towards him. "So, I decided to give you just that. You said you would unwrap me and we would do all sorts of tawdry things." She reached out to Robert, placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him over to her. She looked deeply into his eyes for a moment before kissing him hard. She was breathless by the time she was finished. "So…unwrap me…"

Robert walked around Melanie, taking her in from all angles before stopping in front of her again. "This is definitely the best Christmas present I've ever gotten before," he murmured. He reached out and untaped the bows from her breasts. "Don't need these anymore," he said, throwing the bows on the ground and reaching out again to start unwinding the ribbon from her body. When the ribbon was lying on the ground next to the bows, he brought his hand to her waist and started pushing her backwards to the bed.

"You have one last bow," Melanie whispered.

"I'm saving that for later," he whispered back before giving her one last gentle push, causing her to fall back onto his bed. With a predatory grin, he jumped on top of her and began to kiss every inch of her body. He loved the way his kisses made her squeal and gasp. It made him feel powerful.

It was much later in the night when he finally took off the last bow and tossed it to the floor. Melanie was ready and made no move to stop him when he entered her for the first time. She was shy and a little overwhelmed at first, but soon became quite energetic and responsive to his movements and touches. Robert looked deeply into her eyes and felt like he could see all the way through her. It was like their souls were joined just as their bodies were.

Melanie lay under Robert for a long time after they had finished, catching her breath and enjoying the feel of his weight on top of her. She kept her legs entwined with his and her arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders. Everything felt different now. In spite of her best effort not to, she couldn't help but be reduced to tears.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Robert asked, reaching up and wiping away her tears. When she didn't stop, he sat up and pulled her into his embrace, cradling her.

"Nothing," she cried, leaning her head against his chest and allowing him to hold her. "It was just as magical as I had hoped it would be."

Robert smiled tenderly. He had been nervous about his arm but it hadn't impeded him nearly as much as he'd feared. He was glad he'd been able to give her the magical time she'd deserved. It had been the same for him as well. Melanie was far from his first partner, but he knew with all his heart and soul, that she would be his last.


	19. Taking the Plunge

Robert woke up first the next morning and looked down at Melanie. She was sleeping soundly, with her arms wrapped around his waist. He smiled and thought about the previous night with her. Once she'd calmed down after their first time, she had been in the mood to try it again. They'd ended up making love several times before falling asleep in one another's arms. Everything felt different to him now. He felt happy and completely at ease. He felt even more love for Melanie than he ever thought he could. He had no idea that making love to her would be as amazing as it was. In every way possible, it felt like they had been made for each other. Their personalities were a good match, their souls connected, and their bodies even fit perfectly together. He'd never experienced that before, being completely compatible on all levels with a woman. It was a great feeling. The best feeling, really. He had no idea that being in love with Melanie made sex with her the most pleasurable he'd ever experienced in his life.

As he looked down at her still-sleeping form, he worried that he was turning into a sappy, love-sick fool. What would become of him if that happened? And then Melanie sighed in her sleep and pressed her cheek against his chest and his heart melted. He didn't care what people thought of him. He had all he needed; he was holding his world in his arms. _She_ was who mattered.

Robert didn't know how much time passed before Melanie finally woke up, but the first thing she did when she looked up into his eyes, was smile. It was well worth the wait. "Good morning," she said, moving her hands from around his waist up to run her fingers over his chest.

Robert leaned down and kissed her, using his good hand to brush the hair out of her eyes. "Morning," he said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful," she murmured. "And you?"

"Great," he replied, before kissing her neck and running his fingertips over the soft skin of her stomach, causing her to shiver. "What do you want to do today?"

Melanie grabbed his hand and moved it lower. "Sex!" she cried, laughing as his fingers found their destination.

"Oh? Anything else?"

She squealed as he leaned down and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and shook her head. "No, just sex," she replied. "Though I suppose we'll have to stop and eat sometimes."

"We do have to keep our strength up after all," Robert said with a nod of his head. "And I need to take care of the dog too. Can't forget her." He finished up with Melanie before standing up from the bed slowly and stretching out. "Do you want to come with me while I take Gretel out? We can make breakfast when we're done."

Melanie reluctantly got out of the bed and put on a robe as well. She left the bedroom with Robert, arm-in-arm. When they got to the kitchen, she stayed to make breakfast while he took the dog out.

When he returned a short time later, he was greeted with a plate of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns. "Oh, baby, you're so good to me," he said before kissing her cheek and sitting down at the table. They sat and ate, talking quietly and grinning at every possible opportunity.

After the meal was over, Melanie cleared the table and came back from the sink to sit on Robert's lap. "So…should we go back upstairs?" she whispered in his ear.

Robert kissed her for a minute before untying her robe and tickling her inner thigh. "You know, one of the many good things about sex is that you can do it almost anywhere…" He reached down and untied his own robe, letting it fall off his arms. He smiled when she gasped and jumped off his lap. "Where would we…On the table?" she asked.

"We can try," Robert said as he pressed her down onto the table. Within a minute they were fully engaged in their illicit activity.

"We must look so silly!" Melanie gasped at one point.

"Who cares?" Robert growled.

When they'd finished, they collapsed into one another's arms, completely breathless. "That was harder to do on the table then in the bed," Melanie concluded. "It sort of hurt my back."

Robert rubbed her back with his good hand for a few minutes before she stretched out and declared it all better. The rest of the day was spent testing out as many surfaces in the house as they could think of.

After a bubble bath that night, the happy couple fell into Robert's bed. "Sex is a lot of work," Melanie said with a yawn. "I'm exhausted."

"Do you want to go right to sleep?" Robert asked, lying on his back and looking over at her.

"Not quite yet," she replied, crawling over and straddling his hips. Robert grinned and stayed as he was, deciding to let her do the hard work this time."

(SCENE)

The next morning, Robert returned to work, though he was very reluctant to do so. Melanie stayed at his house, alone, working on her studies. "Enjoy this Christmas break, because you won't get one after you graduate," he said before kissing her and leaving for the day. She had prepared a lunch for him, and spent the day studying and working on dinner.

Robert found life at the hospital without Melanie dull and pointless. Nobody needed him in the OR, so he found himself returning to the ER around midday just to find something to do. He was able to help with a few surgical consults, and enjoyed being in Susan's presence. "So…did you and Melanie have a nice Christmas?" she asked when they were eating in the lounge. "Don't even try to say you didn't spend it together, because I won't believe it."

Robert rolled his eyes. "Christmas was interesting," he replied. "My family is rather colorful. I'm afraid we may not have presented ourselves very well to her."

"Better to get true family dynamics right out there in the open," Susan said knowingly. "And besides, I think pretty much all families are messed up, so she probably wasn't as freaked out as you might think. I mean, she's still there, right?"

Robert nodded his head. "She's spending the week at my place until the next rotation starts."

Susan looked at him very carefully and broke into a huge grin. "You two—" she cut herself off when Abby walked into the room. Robert glared at Susan and took a bite of the turkey sandwich Melanie had made for him. When Abby left the room after refilling her coffee cup, Susan glanced at the paper bag his lunch was in. She smiled and looked at him. "Did Melanie make your lunch for you? That's so sweet…"

Robert pursed his lips. "I could have made it myself…"

"She spelled the 'o' with a heart…"

Robert rolled his eyes and looked at the bag. "I wonder how many people saw that when it was in the fridge," he muttered.

"Don't worry, everybody knows you have a girlfriend. If they noticed at all, they'd just think it was her." Robert took the rest of the food out and tossed the bag in the trash. Susan scrutinized the rest of his lunch. "Aww, she cut your orange into wedges for you…Oh and a pudding cup for dessert…"

He glared at her again. "I happen to like pudding cups," he said defensively. "Melanie worked very hard on this lunch and I'll thank you to stop making fun of it."

Susan smiled. "I'm just giving you a hard time…" She changed the subject after that, though, which he appreciated. As they finished their meal, he thought about what it would be like when she was ER Chief and he was here full time. With her at the helm, it might not be so bad. Her laid-back attitude was so much more pleasant to deal with than Weaver's uptight, conniving personality. Only a few more weeks until he approached Anspaugh about it. He couldn't wait.

(SCENE)

After a long day of studying, Melanie decided to find a way to use up all the turkey leftovers, and thought of the turkey potpie her mother always used to make. There was a recipe in the Joy of Cooking book, and it didn't seem too complicated. Prepping the vegetables and turkey was simple enough, and the sauce was a bit more challenging, but she managed it. The pastry dough, however, proved to be her downfall. The first batch was too wet and when she tried to pick it up, it crumpled and fell on the floor. Gretel raced over and lapped it up before she could clean it off the floor. "Well, at least somebody enjoyed it," she muttered before trying a second batch. That one ended up being too crumbly and wouldn't hold together. When she added more water, it turned gummy. Her heart broke at the thought of never being able to make Robert a pie. With a sigh, she threw the ruined dough in the garbage and found her at keys. Premade dough would have to suffice.

Melanie returned home after a trip to the store with a package of dough and the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies for dessert. There were no more problems with dinner after that.

Robert returned home that night to a house full of delicious smells and Melanie running up to him and showering him with kisses. "I could get used to this," he said between kisses as he pinned her against the fridge.

"I missed you so much today," Melanie gasped as he unzipped her sweater and helped pull it off. "Did you miss me?" She unbuttoned his slacks and pulled them down to his knees.

"From the moment I left till I got home," he said as she wrapped one leg around his waist. "Do you have a…"

"In my pocket," she murmured. She reached down into her skirt pocket and a minute later they were frantically making love. They only lasted a few minutes, but she could barely stand when they'd finished. "Wow!" she panted.

Once they'd recovered, Robert ran upstairs to change his clothes while Melanie finished preparing dinner. He went into the dining room to see that she'd lit candles on the table. "Turkey potpie," she said as she set the plate in front of him. "And salad, because I want you to be healthy."

Melanie had made herself a vegetable potpie with tofu in it, but didn't start eating until he did. "Well? How is it?" she asked nervously.

Robert took a bite and nodded in approval. "Delicious" he declared, much to her relief.

Melanie told him about her pastry misadventures as they ate. "I hope you aren't too upset that I won't be able to make homemade pie crusts for you…"

Robert frowned and sighed, setting his fork down and looking sadly at her. "That was the one criterion I was judging you on as wife material," he said mournfully. "I'm afraid it's just not going to work out for us."

Melanie's face fell and she looked down at her plate. "Y-you're joking, right?" she stammered.

"Melanie! Of course I'm joking," Robert cried, shocked that she still didn't know when he was teasing her. "I don't care if you can cook or bake; these are important things to _you_. If you want, we could look into cooking lessons for you."

Melanie took a deep breath before taking a bite of her food. "Maybe someday," she replied after a minute. "I don't know that I will be able to handle food very much during my surgical rotation. Which reminds me, I should stock up on crackers and ginger ale now…" Robert spent the rest of the meal reassuring her that she'd be fine.

When the meal ended, Melanie cleared off the table and brought out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk to Robert, who had moved to the living room to watch TV. She set the food on the coffee table before curling up next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. They watched TV for a couple hours before retiring to the bedroom. Once in bed, they made love before falling asleep.

(SCENE)

The rest of the week passed much like the first day had. Melanie woke up in the morning with Robert and enjoyed a tumble with him before running downstairs to make his lunch while he took a shower and got dressed for work. He left a short time later, with his lunch, and a kiss to tide him over during the day. Most of his day was spent missing her, and when he returned home at night, he was greeted by an eager Melanie who welcomed him with open arms. They tore frantically at one another for a short time before she served him a hot, home-cooked meal. A quiet evening and gentle love-making ended each day. It was the most pleasurable life Robert had ever known. At one point in time, he realized they were living like newlyweds. He hoped the magic and joy they felt didn't fade any time soon.

Saturday morning, New Year's Eve, he and Melanie woke up and spent time in between making love talking about the future. "I've been thinking," he said, "maybe you should stay here permanently. Why go back to your dorm each night and come here on the weekends only? It's like taking a step backwards." He leaned down to kiss her. "Besides, I don't know if I can last that long without you anymore."

"Oh Robert…" Melanie sighed. "That's so sweet. I don't know that I could be away from you for the long either…" They kissed again and she moved around until she was on top of him. "I've really enjoyed this week here. It's going to be a little strange going back to work and being with you in secret again."

"It'll be hard to behave ourselves," Robert predicted with a smile. "We definitely won't be able to be alone in my office for long periods of time…"

Melanie pouted for a moment. "But I wanted to do it on your desk," she whined.

Robert grabbed her hip with his good hand and flipped her over so he was on top of her. "How about I just take you right here instead?" he asked, grinning.

"That works too," she said, laughing lightly. She wrapped her legs around his waist and cried out when he was a little rougher with her than normal. He eased up a little and her cries turned to ones of pleasure.

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, baby," Robert said when they were finished. He gently kissed her and ran his fingers through her hair.

"A little, at first, but I think I was just startled more than anything," she admitted quietly, running her fingertips over his scalp.

"Well, I should probably kiss where I hurt you and make it all better," he whispered before kissing his way down her body and settling in between her legs. There were no more cries of pain that morning.

(SCENE)

"Are you sure you want to do this today?" Melanie asked as Robert bundled up to leave the house. "I mean, it's pretty cold out…"

"That would be the best time for a polar bear plunge," he replied, slipping his feet into his shoes. "Are you sure you don't want to join me? It's New Year's Eve, that's a great time for your first plunge…"

"I'm very sure, but I'll come with you and watch," she offered. "Let me make some cocoa, I can put it in a thermos if you have one."

"I do, in the cupboard by the sink."

Melanie went to the fridge and took out a carton of milk. "This will warm you up when you're done," she said, walking to the stove and proceeding to make hot cocoa.

"I was thinking of a different way to warm up…" Robert said, reaching out and goosing her.

Melanie squealed and looked at him with a grin. "We can do that too, of course," she assured him. "When we get back. But you'll need to get warmed up immediately." When the cocoa was ready, she poured it into the thermos, grabbed a blanket off the couch, and followed Robert into the garage. "All right, let's go."

They drove down to Lake Michigan and parked. It was a lovely day, not snowing, though there was snow from the last couple days scattered on the grass and sidewalks. The skies were clear, and vibrant, which meant it was very cold. They could see their breath as they got out of the car. Robert took his clothes off by the car and changed into his bathrobe before walking slowly down to the water's edge. Melanie followed behind, holding the thermos and blanket in her hands. He took his robe off and placed it in her arms as well. The only thing he was wearing was a red Speedo and Aquasox. He looked rather amusing, but she knew better than to laugh.

Robert took a deep breath, letting the stinging cold fill his lungs. He looked out at the glassy lake surface and envisioned himself jumping in. How would his arm feel with the icy cold water? He imagined sharp stabs of pain up and down his arm that would overwhelm his senses. It was an intimidating thought, but one he wasn't going to let stop him. With another deep breath, he took a step into the water. It was beyond cold, beyond freezing, and every part of him was screaming to stop, to go back, and he had to constantly fight it, and force his legs to move forward, deeper into the water.

When he was waist-deep, the cold finally got to him and he halted. He couldn't move any further forward. His legs wouldn't move any more. Just as he was about to turn around to walk back to shore, he heard Melanie call out to him. "Robert, you can do it! Just dunk yourself!"

Melanie's belief in him warmed him inside and he found it easier to keep going. After a few more steps, he was chest-deep. He took one last deep breath, and plunged himself under the water. It was colder than he remembered it to be. Stabbing pains shot through his entire body, except for his left arm, which felt only numb. It was a very disturbing sensation. No pain, nothing at all, really.

He only stayed submerged for a few seconds before resurfacing. "You did it! Robert, you did it! I'm so proud of you!" he heard Melanie cry while turning around to look at her. Her cheeks were pink from the cold air and she was grinning happily. "Come on out, or you'll freeze!" It was slow-going, but he eventually made his way out of the water, back to her.

Melanie threw his robe around his shoulders before wrapping him in the blanket. "Oh, Robert, you're freezing!" she cried, kissing his cheeks and pressing her hands to his ears. Robert stood there, shivering as she reached down to grab the thermos she'd set down. She poured him a steaming cup of cocoa and held it to his lips to drink. He drank deeply of the warm liquid, enjoying the searing hot as he swallowed.

"Oh Robert, you're so brave!" she said before wrapping her arms around him. His teeth chattered as they slowly walked back to the car. "When we get home I'm going to make you a nice, hot stew for dinner. That'll warm you up." She helped Robert into the car and immediately turned on the heat as they drove away.

"Thanks," he said once he could unclench his jaw.

"And is your arm ok?" she asked, looking concerned.

"It's fine," he replied, looking out the window.

"I'm glad; I was so worried about the cold temperature damaging it. I'm going to get you home and we'll get right into bed to warm up."

Robert smiled at her. "It might be a little while before I'm ready to…" he said, looking embarrassed.

"That's all right, we can just cuddle," Melanie reassured him. They made the drive home in record time and she helped Robert out of the car. "Let's get right up to your room," she said, tugging on his arm.

Once they were in the bedroom, she helped him strip out of his wet clothes, and got him settled into the bed. She removed her clothes, while he grinned and encouraged her to take her time. "Shake what your mama gave you!" he called out.

"Robert! I am not doing a strip tease!" she cried while slipping into the bed next to him. She cuddled up against him, running her hands all over his body to help warm him up. "You know what they say about body heat…" She pressed herself against him and kissed him passionately.

Robert wrapped his arm around her, and enjoyed all her efforts to help warm him up again. He found he was able to resume his love-making activities much sooner than he'd expected, much to Melanie's delight. He tried to ignore the fact that even though his body was perfectly warm again, he still couldn't feel his left arm at all. It felt like dead weight. Fortunately, she was good at distracting him.

(SCENE)

New Year's Eve was spent quietly, with Robert and Melanie working together in the kitchen to make the stew she'd promised him. While the stew simmered on the stove, Robert led her into the garage and turned on the light. "You know…we haven't done it in the back seat of the car yet," he said, wriggling his eyebrows. "I know it's clichéd, but who cares?"

Melanie laughed nervously and looked at the car for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't know…I don't think that's a good idea," she said quietly before turning and walking back into the kitchen. She was stirring the stew when Robert walked over to her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, carefully analyzing her reaction.

"I just…don't want to have sex in the back of the car, that's all," she replied defensively, not looking at him. She knew she was putting off the inevitable, but she still felt compelled to try.

Robert could sense that she was holding something back from him, and had to know what it was. It was imperative that he find out her secret. He had to know everything about her. "Will you tell me why not?" he asked quietly, sitting down at the kitchen table and looking over at her.

Melanie stopped stirring and looked down at the stew. "Can't I have _any_ secrets?" she murmured. She could feel his intense gaze from behind her, and knew the answer without him saying a word. Of course not.

She turned around and looked at him, and Robert could see the misery showing clearly on her face. "What's the matter, baby?" he asked, standing up and wrapping his arm around her. "You can tell me anything."

Melanie started to cry and buried her head on his shoulder. "It's really embarrassing," she wailed.

"You'll feel better if you tell me," he said, hating to see how much this secret was tormenting her. "This is New Year's. A time to get things off your chest and start over again. Let go of old pain and all that stuff."

Melanie sobbed for another minute before calming down enough to sit at the kitchen table. He sat down next to her and wrapped his hand over hers. She sniffled a few times before opening her mouth to speak. "I wish you'd been my first," she said between sniffles. Robert furrowed his brow and squeezed her hand encouragingly, but said nothing. "When I was fifteen, I was a brain at school. Boys didn't notice me, except if they needed help with homework. I was a total nobody. And then one day, the quarterback of the football team asked me out. He was a senior, eighteen years old, and really gorgeous. He said he'd noticed me around school before and asked me out to dinner and a movie. I was thrilled and so excited that a boy finally noticed me that I immediately said yes."

She sniffled a couple more times and took a deep breath before going on again. "So, we went out on a Thursday, my mom had given me permission to stay out late even though it was a school night. I had a great time with him, and I thought he'd had a great time too. We saw a movie and then went out for burgers. When we'd finished eating, he drove us out to the school parking lot, and we started making out. Things were pretty intense, and before I knew it we were in the backseat of his car. I felt uncomfortable with how fast things were moving, but he was so cool and so good-looking that I just let him do whatever he wanted. He had his hands all over me, and after a short time, he pushed me down into the seat and was on top of me."

Melanie started to cry again, and Robert continued to squeeze her hand, his heart pounding hard. "I always thought my first time would be magical and wonderful, but it wasn't…It hurt…a lot. I thought about asking him to stop, but I wanted him to like me, so I just lay there and let him do what he wanted to me. It felt like it lasted forever, but it was probably only five minutes or so when he finished." She sighed mournfully before continuing. "He got back into the front seat and drove me home. I cried the whole way. When he dropped me off, he told me not to tell anybody about what we'd done, and drove off. He never spoke to me again and I heard a couple weeks later from some of his teammates that he'd only done it on a dare. I never told anybody about it, but he told the entire football team that I was lousy in bed and soon the whole school knew. I'd never been more humiliated in my life. I withdrew even more into my books and studies after that. And I was determined to be done with men forever. I never dated or kissed or slept with another guy after that and I didn't care. I didn't want to. And then I met you…"

Robert felt enraged at the boy who had done that to Melanie. He wanted to find out who'd done it, fly to Astoria, and give him the beating he deserved. But he wasn't able to do that right now, so instead, he reached out and drew Melanie into his arms. She sat on his lap and buried her head on his shoulder again, crying quietly. He rocked her gently, and kissed her cheeks.

"I never intended to fall in love with you, you know," she said after a few minutes. "I mean, I found you attractive from the first time we met, but I tried to ignore it as best I could…"

"I'm glad you finally gave in to your feelings," Robert replied quietly. "My life has been so much better since you came into it."

Melanie sat on his lap for a few more minutes, enjoying how strong his arm was and how safe and protected he made her feel. It did make her feel sad, though, to know that he wasn't her first and only. That would have been perfect. She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of stew bubbling on the stove. "Oh, I have to go stir that," she said, sitting up and trying to unwrap his arm from her waist. He reluctantly let go and watched as she walked to the stove. "You know what?" she asked while stirring the stew. "We should do it in the back of the car. It would be empowering…or something…Like not letting it have that power over me anymore."

Robert stood up and joined her at the stove. "I would be honored to help empower you in the back of my car…" he said, kissing her neck.

Melanie turned and laughed. "Why am I not surprised?" she said lightly, feeling better after having finally excised a very old demon. After setting her spoon down on the counter, she let him lead her into the garage.

Robert opened the back door of the car and bowed a little. "After you, my dear," he said with a grin. Melanie took a deep breath and crawled inside. He followed a moment later, shutting the door behind him.

Melanie's second time in the back of a man's car was much more enjoyable than the first time. The unhappy memories were replaced with joyful ones. "I feel much more empowered now," she said once they had finished.

"Well, I hope you always feel empowered enough to do exactly what you want with me," Robert replied as they got out of the car. "If you ever have ideas of what you'd like to do or where you'd like to do it…Just let me know, I'm pretty much open to anything…"

Melanie blushed as she buttoned her shirt. "Well, there's one thing I've been thinking about…" she said reluctantly.

"What, tell me," Robert prodded before stepping back into his shoes.

Melanie giggled nervously before answering. "The hammock, in the backyard," she said quickly, not looking at him.

Robert's eyebrows rose and he chuckled. "Well, well…my girlfriend is an exhibitionist…Am I a lucky man or what?"

"What do you mean an exhibitionist? Nobody can see us out there…right?"

"Well, assuming that the neighbors aren't looking out their windows…And assuming that we could stay quiet…I suppose nobody would see us. But, you're such a screamer…"

Melanie swatted his good arm playfully. "I am not!"

"You are too! Just now, in the car…"

"That wasn't a scream…It was a yelp…"

"Either way, if you do that outside, all the neighbors will hear us and check it out."

"Well then we'll just have to be very quiet." She turned and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Robert staring after her in the garage. He had the realization at that moment, that he was, in fact, the luckiest man ever to have found such a wonderful girlfriend. "Dinner's ready!" Melanie called out a couple minutes later. Robert trotted into the house and joined her at the table.

They rang in the New Year quietly together.

(SCENE)

Melanie was nervous about starting her surgical rotation and could barely function on Sunday. Robert spent much of the day preparing her for what to expect. "Yes, it's going to be hard. It's going to be long days, and spending a lot of time on your feet. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes, eat and drink any chance you get, and sleep any time you have the opportunity, and you'll do fine," he reassured her at dinner that evening.

On Monday, when they woke up, Melanie got ready to go to work with Robert. "I'm still so nervous," she said, not eating the oatmeal she'd made. "Do you think I'll scrub in today?"

"I might let you, depending on how busy it is," Robert said, sipping his coffee, "but you'll probably spend most of your time in the recovery room helping with post op patients. You'll be pulling drains and changing bandages most of the day." When he saw her turn green, he patted her hand. "Sorry. I'll try to get you started on rounds tomorrow. You'll be assigned to your team and hopefully you'll be able to work together on your patients."

"Who do you think I'll be assigned to?" Melanie hoped she was assigned to somebody good.

"A resident," Robert said. "And that resident will be assigned to an attending. You'll have at least one other student and you'll all work together as a team to do rounds and work in the OR. Just make sure to do whatever your resident tells you to do and you'll be fine."

"I hope I don't get a mean resident…"

"You really should try and eat something. You're looking at a sixteen hour day and you don't know when you'll get a break to eat again. I don't want you passing out."

Melanie ate the rest of her breakfast, and when she was finished, they left for the hospital. Once they arrived, they took the elevator to Robert's floor. Her heart was pounding until she spotted Dr. Corday, who smiled at them. "Good morning, Miss Hahn, you're starting your rotation today, I see?" she asked as they walked over to them. "You're going to do just fine."

"Thanks," Melanie replied nervously.

"Why don't you go put your stuff in my office? I'll be right there," Robert said, moving to stand next to Elizabeth and watching as the younger woman walked away.

"Robert…they're going to eat her alive…I'm going to try and keep an eye on her as best I can, but you'll need to look out for her too."

"What do you mean?"

Elizabeth pursed her lips for a minute, trying to decide how to say what needed to be said. "I've been hearing things over the last week or so since Melanie's name showed up on the rotation list. Some of the doctors are really looking forward to pimping her." When he furrowed his brow and frowned, she continued. "See…You may or may not be aware of this, Robert, but you have quite a reputation for being a difficult man to work with. And many people have been waiting a very long time for payback. Melanie isn't just a med student, she's 'Rocket' Romano's med student, and that makes her a target for them."

Robert shook his head. "I'm still Chief of Staff…They wouldn't dare…"

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "Just make sure you're with her as much as possible. She's not exactly the most aggressive person I've ever met. If they don't pick on her, they might ignore her altogether."

"Just make sure she's not assigned to Edson and she'll do all right."

"I was thinking of assigning her to Geisler."

"Isaac would not be a good match for her," Robert protested. "He's much too aggressive. What about Alexander?"

"Lisa? I suppose…I hadn't thought about her."

"I think Lisa would be a perfect match for Melanie."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and looked at Robert carefully for a minute before grinning at him. "Oh, Robert…you don't want her assigned to a _male_ resident…That's adorable," she said quietly.

Robert glared at her. "Will you stop!" he hissed. "I have to go check on her." He turned and walked away without looking back.

Melanie was sitting on the love seat in Robert's office, waiting for him. She stood up when he entered the room. "All I need is my lab coat and I'll be ready," she said.

Robert shut the door and walked over to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and crushed her against him. "This is going to be a rough six weeks," he whispered to her before kissing her cheek. "But you're going to get through it just fine." Melanie hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. They stayed in their embrace for another minute before he gently pulled away from her. "All right, let's get you a lab coat and get started."

Melanie took a deep breath and nodded her head. She bit her lip nervously and opened the door to leave. Ready or not, here I come…she thought to herself as she walked out the door.

A/N: "Pimping" in the context of medical school means to grill a student aggressively to test their medical knowledge. It's a tradition upheld by doctors, and can be quite intimidating at times.


	20. Surgical Rotation

Robert's plan to ease her into the rotation wasn't going quite as planned. Dr. Alexander was an exacting advisor, and Robert himself was left wondering if she knew how to smile. He was hard on people because he enjoyed seeing their reaction. It's how he found out what kind of person they were. But Alexander was tough as nails, for no reason he could discern.

Once he tracked down a lab coat for Melanie, Dr. Alexander found her and swept her off for rounds. "I expect you to be here at six every morning for rounds, and you'll have to spend time beforehand working up the patients. You'll start tomorrow, but for now I'll show you around the scrub room and OR. I'll show you the proper way to scrub in and you can spend some time practicing." Melanie looked over her shoulder at Robert, her brow furrowed in panic as Dr. Alexander led her away from him.

Robert felt bad for Melanie later that day as he watched Alexander demonstrate how to remove a drain from a patient's stomach. He saw from across the room that Melanie turned a disturbing shade of green and swayed for a few moments before steadying herself. He was concerned that she would pass out or throw up, but she managed not to, thankfully. He wanted so badly to run over and wrap his arms around her, but he couldn't. He had to make sure he didn't baby her during this rotation. Both Weaver and Elizabeth were right: Melanie did need to toughen up a bit if she was going to make it as a doctor. She could only do that through experience and practice.

Melanie looked down at the tube in her hands and felt the gorge rise in her throat. She took several deep breaths to regain her composure. She was determined not to let it get to her. She had to show her worth as Robert's med student. It would humiliate him if she passed out or cried during the surgical rotation. That was motive enough for her to put aside the disgust that was threatening to overwhelm her. She looked at the other med student in her team, who was calm and composed while she handled another patient's drain. Melanie had no idea how the other girl could be so serene, but she wasn't going to let herself fail while the other girl succeeded.

Lily Campbell, who Melanie knew from classes, was a real cutthroat student. She had been assigned to Dr. Alexander as well. If Melanie had a rival, in terms of matching her in grades, it was Lily. Melanie wasn't a very competitive person, not having ever been truly challenged by another person before, but she could tell Lily would be a worthy contender.

"Ms. Hahn, is everything all right?" Dr. Alexander asked suddenly, startling Melanie out of her nausea.

Melanie glanced over at Lily, who had set her drain down on a tray and was looking curiously at her. She took a deep breath and set her own drain down as well. "Yes, Doctor," she replied enthusiastically. "What next?"

(SCENE)

Robert found it easier for the first few days to spend less time with Melanie, not more. He wanted her to find her own way to deal with the stress and pressure and to not rely on his presence for comfort. He felt like a cruel bastard, but it was necessary. He stayed in his office most of the time, showing up for rotation in the morning and then leaving her with the team the rest of the time. It was sink or swim time for her now. The only interfering he did was to call her to his office the morning of her first procedure to give her one of his surgical caps. They were no use to him any longer. "I thought you could choose one," he said, setting a cardboard box full of his old caps on his desk for her to look through. He'd thought about giving her his rocket cap, but thought that might make her a target too much. She looked through them all and picked one out that was multiple shades of blue swirls. It fit her style perfectly.

"I can't wait to see you in blue scrubs for the first time," he said quietly, smiling at the thought.

"I get to scrub in at ten this morning," Melanie said nervously. "Dr. Anspaugh's going to do a Ross Procedure on a twenty year old and he wants the students to be there to watch. I studied up on it last night before bed. It sounds like a really impressive procedure. Maybe I'll get to hold a clamp!"

"That would be quite an honor from him for your first procedure. Just make sure to call him 'sir' when addressing him and you'll do fine. He was a military man, after all."

Melanie looked wistfully at Robert for a moment. She began to reach out to him, but stopped herself before making contact. "I…I should probably go now," she said quietly before leaving the room and finding Dr. Alexander for morning rounds.

Robert resisted the urge to scrub in with her for the procedure that morning, choosing instead to allow her to interact with the other med students on her own. He spent the morning down in the ER working on consults. He was sad though that he didn't get to see her in her blue scrubs.

Dr. Alexander gave them advice on how to behave themselves in the OR while they all scrubbed in. "Don't speak unless spoken to," she said before they backed their way into the OR.

The first thing Melanie noticed was how cold it was in the room. She tried her best not to shiver from the nerves or the cold. Dr. Anspaugh was standing by the table, looking at the patient, who was already asleep. The man looked much bigger and more intimidating in the OR than he did on the dance floor. He had a sense of power that emanated from him that nobody could ignore. The scrub nurse put her surgical cap and mask on so nobody saw as Melanie bit her lip and furrowed her brow.

There were three students in the room: Melanie, Lily, and much to Melanie's displeasure, Tina Smith. She had hoped to have seen the last of Tina down in the ER but apparently they were taking the same rotations. At least Tina had been assigned to Dr. Edson and she didn't have to deal with her too much. Edson apparently felt that med students were little more than slaves, if the way he treated them was any indication. He liked to wield his power over them with what appeared to be gleeful delight. Melanie almost felt sorry for Tina. Not quite, but almost.

In spite of the three burgeoning egos of the med students, they were absolutely silent in the OR, their terror of making a mistake rendering them mute. They took the nurses' directions without complaint. Because Lily and Tina were more aggressive, they ended up closer to Dr. Anspaugh, leaving Melanie towards the back, where she was unable to see very well. They both held clamps for him and Melanie stood still, trying to keep her hands from touching anything and ignoring how sore it made her arms after a short time.

Dr. Anspaugh narrated everything he did, so even though she couldn't see it very well, she could listen to the procedure. "Ms. Hahn, would you care to tell me some of the advantages of the Ross Procedure?" he asked during a lull.

Melanie was startled that he had called on her, and gasped quietly while trying to figure out a good response. "Uh…The patient doesn't have to take anticoagulants…The risk of clots is low so there's less chance of complications later on," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "And because the pulmonary valve is stronger, it's a good replacement for the aortic valve. It allows the blood to flow more strongly and makes replacement surgery less likely to be needed later on in the patient's life."

Anspaugh nodded his head. "Very good, Ms. Hahn," he replied.

"Thank you, sir," she said quietly.

Anspaugh proceeded to ask her questions over the course of the next hour, some related to the procedure, some not. Melanie did her best to answer them correctly and only missed a few. Fortunately for her, he didn't tear her down for missing an answer, though he did demand that she research it and return to him the next day with the correct ones.

The operation lasted most of the day, and partway through, Lily accidentally contaminated her field had to step out to rescrub. Anspaugh had Melanie take over holding the clamp for her. She was able to see the patient and the heart much better. It was amazing to see a heart so close up for the first time. She stared at it, mesmerized, for nearly an hour. Watching as it continued to beat and keep the patient alive while it was being worked on. It was amazing and it made her want to learn more about hearts and all that was involved in working on them. It made her think of her father and the fact that doctors hadn't been able to save his heart. Emotions swirled around inside her, and all the while she held the clamp, not letting her hand slip or tremble.

As well as Melanie did during the procedure, Anspaugh chose Tina to close up after he was done. Maybe he was trying not to play favorites, but she was disappointed anyway to not have a chance to show off her suturing skills to him.

At the end of the day, she was exhausted; her arms very sore. She still had to continue with rounds and do the research Anspaugh had asked her to do. It was several more hours before she left for the day. Robert was asleep by the time she got home.

The next day, Melanie tracked down Anspaugh in his office and handed in her notes on the corrected answers. He looked over the notes and nodded in approval. "Very good, Ms. Hahn," he said, handing them back to her. "How did you like your first procedure?"

"It was very interesting, sir," she replied with a smile. "I've never seen a beating heart that close before. I couldn't stop looking at it."

Anspaugh smiled. "They are fascinating organs, aren't they? I remember the first time I worked on one. That's all it took for me to know I wanted to focus on them," he spoke kindly, and looked shrewdly at her. "Do you have any idea on what you'd like to focus on in your career?"

Melanie took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders. "My father died of a heart attack when I was nine, and that's what inspired me to become a doctor," she said slowly. "After yesterday, it's brought a lot of those memories back. Maybe working with hearts would be a good thing for me."

Anspaugh nodded again and furrowed his brow. "Have you done your internal medicine rotation yet?" When Melanie shook her head, he continued. "Sign up for that next. And make sure to take a cardiology rotation in your fourth year. I think you might find those two to be very helpful when it comes to making your final decision."

Melanie thanked Anspaugh for his time and advice before running off to find Dr. Alexander for rounds. It was another long, exhausting day in the OR.

(SCENE)

By the end of the first week, Melanie was more worn out than she'd ever felt in her entire life. She could barely even think straight or keep her eyes open as she drove home to Robert. He greeted her with a strong hug and a warm kiss. "How's my girl? First week done," he said with a smile, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leading her to the couch in the living room.

Melanie curled up on the couch and let Robert take her into his arms. "Oh I'm so tired," she murmured while leaning her head on his shoulder. "Dr. Alexander is so exacting. I doubt I'll ever manage to please her." She sat and thought about her week. Dr. Alexander seemed to have the attitude that women needed to work three times as hard just to be considered almost equal to a man. She worked Melanie hard, ruthlessly, relentlessly, expecting nothing less than absolute perfection. There was no let-up, either, because Robert had managed to get assigned as the attending Dr. Alexander reported to. Melanie already knew his view about perfection, and knew there would be no sympathy from him.

"Well, surgery's not a walk through the park," Robert said quietly and sensibly. "You only have five more weeks. And it might not feel like it to you, but you are doing well."

"It's not all bad, I suppose," Melanie added, lying down and settling in on his lap, looking up at him. She smiled and didn't try to stop him as he reached down to unbutton her shirt. It took him a long time with only one hand, but he managed it. "This in particular, is very nice." He traced his fingertips over her skin and it made her feel so loved by him. "I might just make it through the rotation after all."

Melanie was glad that even though she was working harder than she'd ever worked in her life, she was actually doing important work. She enjoyed the feeling of teamwork and working together with others to treat sick people. She liked the collective nature and the collaborative attitude.

They stayed on the couch for a short time until she started falling asleep. Robert gently led her up to bed where she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

(SCENE)

As the days flew past, Melanie was exhausted, but satisfied. Each night, she collapsed into bed with Robert and fell asleep immediately. Robert was finding her rotation more difficult than she was, due to the fact that she was now so busy and tired that she had no time or energy for sex. He'd gone for so long without it that it had actually made it easier to do without. But now that they'd finally started, he was finding it difficult to go back to abstaining. He'd realized that with Melanie, his needs and desires seemed to increase, and now he was facing a long dry spell. He wasn't looking forward to it.

Due to Elizabeth's kindness, he'd managed to get assigned as her team's attending which not only gave them the opportunity to stay close at work, but it also made him feel useful in the OR again. At least this way he could supervise procedures and make sure nobody pimped Melanie too hard.

Time seemed to fly past for Melanie, and before she knew it, her rotation was half over. "It seems like one really long, never-ending day," she said to Robert as they drove to work one morning.

"How do you like it so far?" he asked curiously.

"It's all right…" she replied diplomatically. "I can see why you love it. It's so fast-paced, so exciting. I can hardly think most of the time. I like doing rounds, because I get to talk to the patients. I do like that. And I don't mind it when the doctors pimp me, though it seems as if you're the guiltiest culprit of them all…"

"Well, we just like to make sure you know your stuff," Robert said with a grin. "I've yet to see you break under the pressure, so I can't imagine it's too tough for you…"

"I suppose not." They drove in silence the rest of the way, each lost in their own thoughts. Robert realized that as it was now midway through the rotation, it was now time to have that discussion with Anspaugh. His heart pounded nervously at the thought of going through with his plans. It was one thing to think about it, but another thing entirely to follow through. He hadn't said a word to Melanie yet, and he didn't intend to. She would find out when everybody else did.

Once they were in the hospital, Robert sought out Anspaugh and found him in the faculty lounge. "Donald, how are you this morning?" he called out casually while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Very well, and you?" Anspaugh folded up his newspaper and set it on the table.

"Couldn't be better," Robert said with a smile.

"Things seem to be going well for your student. She's always done well on the procedures I've worked on with her. You weren't lying when you said her suturing skills were unmatched. You must have had her practice for hours…"

"I think she probably memorized every square inch of the suture room in the ER."

"Well, I have to say, that I was more than a little wary when I heard you were taking on a student, but I can say with complete certainty that it's been a smashing success. Have you found teaching to be satisfactory to your tastes?"

"You have no idea…" Robert said before sipping his coffee and sitting down across from Anspaugh. "Listen, I was wondering if you had some free time later today. I'd love to buy you lunch. There's something rather important I need to discuss with you."

Anspaugh looked at Robert shrewdly before folding his arms. "Define 'important'," he demanded.

Robert took a deep breath. "Important as in some changes I'd like to make around here," he said carefully.

Anspaugh sniffed and stood up abruptly. "Actually I'm free this morning if you'd like to make this a breakfast meeting," he replied.

Robert stood up and walked out of the room with Donald. His heart pounded as he spotted Melanie in the post-op room. She looked at him curiously as he walked to the elevator with Anspaugh. It felt like an eternity before they reached Doc Magoo's.

Robert was careful to order food that didn't need a knife while Anspaugh had steak and eggs. "So, what's so important that you had to buy me breakfast?" Donald asked while cutting into his steak with skillful precision.

Robert swallowed his bite of toast and sipped his coffee before responding. "I have been giving this a lot of consideration, and it isn't easy for me to say this, but I feel I must. I have enjoyed my tenure as Chief of Staff, but I feel the time has come for me to resign." He wanted to say everything he needed to without interruption, so he barreled ahead with his thoughts. "I know I can't perform surgeries anymore. I've almost accepted that by now. But I've been helping out with surgical consults in the ER and have realized that it's better for patient-care to have somebody on-hand there to do a consult rather than paging the OR and waiting for somebody to find the time to come downstairs. If it was approved by the board, I would like to make that a new position and fill it myself. Call it a 'surgical liaison', if you will. I could still be on the surgical staff, but work from the ER."

Donald was quiet for a couple minutes, eating and considering the proposal. "Who would take your place as Chief of Staff?" he finally asked. "It's always been like pulling teeth to fill that position…"

"I've given that a lot of thought," Robert said, clearing his throat. "There are a few organizational changes I'd like to make, and I feel they will benefit the entire hospital. First, I'd appoint Corday to Chief of Surgery permanently. It's time, and she deserves it. Next, I'd appoint Dr. Lewis to Chief of Emergency Medicine, and that would open the door for Kerry Weaver to step in as Chief of Staff. It's a full-time job and she has the desire and ability to run this place. She'd do an exemplary job." He took a deep breath. Those had been difficult words to say, but they were true.

Donald took a swig of orange juice and continued to eat and ponder. "You certainly have given this a lot of thought," he finally said quietly. "I can't see any reason why this wouldn't work, though I'll have to run it past the board of directors. I can't see why they'd object, particularly after you made such a sacrifice on your part when it came to the new security measures."

Robert smiled humbly and ate some of his eggs. It was always nice to see his plans play out the way he'd envisioned them.

"The board meets in a few days for our monthly meeting. I'll bring this up to them then." Anspaugh finished his food a couple minutes later and thanked Robert for the meal. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?" he asked while standing up to leave.

I'm sleeping with my med student and I might ask her to marry me, is that an appropriate course of action as Chief of Staff? Definitely not a conversation he wanted to have with Anspaugh… "No that was all I needed to talk to you about," he replied, standing up to pay the check at the register.

Once back in the hospital, he joined Melanie and the rest of her team for rounds. He did his best to put his future career moves out of his mind.

(SCENE)

Two long days later, Robert and Melanie had a day off together. "Let's just say in bed all day," she whimpered when they had awoken. "I never thought it was possible to feel so tired after a full-night's sleep. Remind me why I'm going this again?"

Robert kissed her gently for a minute before answering. "So you can become a doctor and help people and all that noble stuff," he replied. He looked down at her and frowned. "Please tell me you're not too tired for sex. I don't think I can last much longer…"

Melanie grinned and rolled onto her side to look at him. "Well that is definitely something that needs to be taken care of," she said while reaching a hand out to grasp him firmly. "Can't have you dying or passing out or anything like that." She frowned and looked deeply into his eyes. "Oh…you poor man, you really are pretty bad off right now aren't you…"

"I might need a doctor," Robert gasped.

"How about a med student instead?" Melanie whispered as she moved down to kiss him.

"Works for me," Robert said before gasping again at her ministrations…

Quite a while later, a thoroughly satisfied Robert held an equally satisfied Melanie in his arms. "Maybe this rotation isn't so bad as long as we take advantage of our days off like this," he said, running his fingers through her hair. She nodded and nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "And as long as you bring a set of scrubs home with you on your next day off. I've been dying get you alone with scrubs on. You look so hot with them on."

Melanie laughed and twined her legs through his. "Why do you want me to wear scrubs in bed?" she asked.

"So I can rip them off you, of course," Robert replied as though it was completely obvious. He chuckled at the look of surprise on her face and kissed her for a minute before shifting around and grabbing something from under his pillow. "You know, I was thinking that I might redeem this today," he said, handing her one of the coupons from her Christmas present to him.

Melanie read it and grinned. "We'll see if I can bend that way," she murmured as he reached out and grabbed one of her legs.

"We'll just take it nice and slow," Robert whispered in her ear.

(SCENE)

Robert and Melanie managed to keep finding moments to be together over the next couple weeks. It was enough to keep him going, though not as much as he'd have liked under normal circumstances. Something that also helped him keep going on was the fact that the board approved all his organizational changes he wanted to make. Anspaugh told him several days after their breakfast and that night, Melanie had no idea why Robert had been in such a great mood, but had just enjoyed the benefits without complaint.

Before either of them realized it, the last week of her surgical rotation finally arrived. She was too exhausted to be excited, but felt much more confident now in her abilities and knowledge than she had been five weeks ago. Dr. Alexander had lightened up a bit over the course of the rotation, though she still expected a lot from her and Lily. Lily had indeed proved to be a worthy challenger, keeping Melanie on her toes the entire time.

The day before rotation ended, Melanie was in the OR with her team working on an appendectomy. Robert was in the room with them, observing. Dr. Alexander was explaining everything she did. Both students were holding clamps and as they finished up, Alexander was about to choose one of them to close for her, when Anspaugh burst into the room, holding a mask over his face.

"There's been a MVA and patients are being rolled into the ER," he said hurriedly. "We need to prepare for a busy afternoon. Dr. Alexander I would like you and Ms. Campbell to work with the rest of the surgeons and Ms. Hahn, I'd like you to work with Dr. Romano as a closer. This will allow us to work faster as a team to treat what I have a feeling will be, many patients."

Melanie looked over at Robert and raised her eyebrows. She could tell that he was excited at the thought of getting to work with her alone. It would be strange, because she'd do all the work while he instructed her, and they wouldn't be part of most of the operating.

Robert was thrilled that Anspaugh assigned Melanie to be a closer. It showed that she was trusted to work in procedures without anybody else who could readily assist her. He was yet again glad he'd had her spend so much time on sutures in the ER. Of course there was one drawback in that Melanie wouldn't be a part of operating on patients, but both he and Anspaugh knew that surgery would not be her forte. This was something that better suited her abilities and less aggressive nature.

When the appendectomy was finished, everybody scrubbed out and prepared for the accident victims who were starting to be brought up to the OR. Melanie and Robert had to wait for a while before they were needed to close patients, so they quickly ate lunch in the lounge, knowing there might not be another chance for a long time.

"I am so proud of you right now," Robert said quietly as they ate their sandwiches. "This is a wonderful way to finish your rotation. If you do well there's no way you won't get a good grade."

Melanie set her sandwich down and looked at him nervously. "Do you think it's really a good idea to be excited about injured people?" she asked carefully. "Shouldn't we feel bad for them or something more compassionate?"

Robert scoffed at her. "They'll be unconscious. They won't care how we feel," he replied. "But…if it makes you feel better, I do feel bad for their plight. I've just been at this job too long, I suppose. You start looking at people as procedures instead of people after a while."

Melanie bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't want that to happen to me," she said quietly.

"You won't let it," he said just as quietly, reaching out and brushing his fingers against hers for a moment before returning to his lunch.

When they went into the scrub room to prepare for their first closing, Melanie helped Robert scrub-in before working on herself. It ended up being a tag-team approach, with the resident or attending who operated on the patient handing him over to them when they'd finished.

They stood across from one another in the operating room, with a nurse standing by the tray of clamps and other tools. Robert watched in silence as Melanie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening her eyes and asking for the surgical needle. He talked her through the job, speaking calmly and patiently as she did exactly as he told her to. "It's a little different to do this here in the OR rather than downstairs, isn't it?" he asked as she continued to work.

"Each patient is completely different," Melanie said, nodding her head.

"You're doing very well, Miss Hahn, very well indeed. I might have to refer to you as my Little Seamstress from now on," Robert complimented her earnestly. "Are you enjoying yourself?" He was doing his best not to get turned on by the sight of Melanie in scrubs. He hadn't been joking about wanting to rip them off of her. He just had to make sure he didn't do it in the OR while the patient and nurse were still present.

The rest of the day was spent scrubbing in and out of closing procedures. Melanie lost track of time, but knew that it was a long day. Her feet were sore part way through, but she did her best to ignore the pain. Hours passed but still patients kept coming. The MVA was followed by another MVA involving a Greyhound bus.

Melanie was so exhausted she could hardly think straight. She was aware at one point in time of Robert sticking a slice of pizza in her mouth in between closing patients. He rubbed her shoulders with his good hand and gave her a bottle of water. "You're doing great, baby," he whispered in her ear. "Just keep it up. This will be a memory you always keep with you: your marathon day. You can get through this."

"Thanks, coach," she joked with a tired smile. After a quick check on the room, to see that nobody was there, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against his shoulder. "When this is done, I think I'm going to sleep for three days straight."

"Hopefully not that long," Robert murmured in her ear. "Though we could stay in bed for three days if you wanted to…"

Melanie laughed and stood up again. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea." After stretching her arms out, they went back to the OR to work on the next patient.

By the time the last patient had been closed up, it was well into the next day. Dr. Anspaugh took the time to thank everybody for staying until the job was done. "Ms. Hahn, I hope you don't mind staying late on your final day of rotation," he said wearily as he shook her hand.

Melanie shook her head. "Not at all, sir," she replied. "I'm just glad I could help out."

"Well, you go home and get some sleep," Anspaugh instructed. "Did you sign up for an internal medicine rotation next like I told you to?"

"Yes sir, I start next week."

"Good, glad to hear it. I think you'll get a lot out of it."

"I hope so. I'll let you know."

While Melanie took a shower in the women's locker room, Robert changed in the men's locker room. "We missed you in there, Dr. Romano," Edson said while changing out of his scrubs. "It's a shame your student was relegated to suturing instead of more interesting work."

"Well, somebody needed to do the suturing and she is the best," Robert said coolly. "It was probably more interesting than holding a clamp all day long which is probably what your student had to endure."

"It was still a good experience for Ms. Smith to have. Getting to observe a procedure is still preferable to coming in after the fact."

Robert put his shirt on in silence. He didn't want to engage in a ridiculous pissing match with Edson. Melanie wasn't going to focus on surgery so it didn't matter if she observed procedures on her last day or not. Edson was just trying to get a reaction out of him and he was determined not to rise to the challenge. Besides, Edson was going to go home, alone, and sleep for the next twenty four hours, but Robert would be going home, with Melanie, and making sweet love to her for the next twenty four hours. He knew who the clear winner in that match-up was.

"Well, maybe you're right, Dale, but the rotation is over so it doesn't even matter anymore," he finally said, standing up to leave the room. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have some place to be. See you around."

He walked to his car and found Melanie waiting for him in the driver's seat. "I'm so tired I hope I can see straight to drive us home," she said as she started the car. "The first thing I'm going to do when we get home is go right to bed."

"Can we—"

"No, not until I get a good night's sleep," Melanie interrupted. "You get me much too excited to sleep when we're finished and I'm about to pass out already. So, sleep first, then sex."

Robert frowned and shook his head sadly. "I don't like it when you get bossy," he muttered.

Melanie grinned. "Are you pouting? Usually that's my job…"

"Yes I'm pouting. I don't want to wait until tomorrow."

"I suppose we could try it tonight. I'll probably fall asleep part way through, is that what you want?"

Robert considered it for a moment before finally shaking his head. "I suppose not. That would be boring if you weren't into it. Or even awake I suppose," he admitted.

"I promise I'll make it up to you for having to wait till tomorrow," Melanie said. "Maybe you can redeem a few more of the coupons to try…"

"Like the one where you'll be my sex slave for a whole day? Because that's what it's going to take…"

Melanie laughed as they drove into the garage. "All right, it's a deal," she said, turning off the car and undoing her seatbelt. "You let me sleep all I need to tonight and all day tomorrow I'll do whatever you want, whenever you want. I think that'll be fun."

"I suppose," Robert said, getting out of the car and putting his arm around her shoulders. "Can we at least take a shower together tonight?"

Melanie thought about it as they walked up the stairs. "Even though I already took one before leaving the hospital, I don't see why I can't take another one with you. It was awfully lonely in the shower at County."

"What, with all those other women around?"

Melanie hit him playfully on his backside. "Robert! I hope you're joking…"

"Relax, I was. I'm the only one I want taking a shower with you."

"Well that works out perfectly because you're the only one I want to take a shower with."

They walked into Robert's master bathroom and proceeded to take each other's clothes off. "I've missed this," Melanie said as they stepped into the shower. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him deeply. "It's been six, very long weeks. And I don't mean to sound rude, because I know how much surgery means to you, but I'm very glad this rotation is over."

Robert sighed as she ran her hands over his body. "Don't worry, I'm glad it's over too," he replied. "I like _this_ much better than the idea of you being a surgeon. The perks are much more enjoyable." As she concentrated her hands on a particular spot, he was never happier that he'd given up on his dream of turning Melanie into his replacement than he was right now. He knew that she'd be happier finding her own path, and the happier she was, the happier he would be. He didn't know much about marriage, other than the fact that it always seemed to end in disaster, but he did know that if his wife was happy, then he'd be happy. And if she was unhappy…then mores the pity for him. His mind was turning to thoughts of marriage more and more lately. He tried to ignore it, usually, but sometimes it took over his thoughts, like it was now.

"Do you think we'll still do stuff like this after we're married with kids?" Melanie asked as they stepped out of the shower and toweled each other off. "Or will we be a boring couple?"

"I hope not," Robert said, picking up his toothbrush. "We'll probably have to keep finding moments to be together, like we've been doing during your rotation. Except instead of sutures and operations it'll be bottles and diapers."

Melanie looked at him for a minute, considering what he'd said. The more she got to know him, the more she loved him. And the more she loved him, the more she wanted marry him and have his child. "Can you imagine us being parents?"

Robert grinned and looked in the mirror at himself. He could see himself being a father. It had never been something he'd truly considered a possibility in his life, but the more he realized Melanie wasn't going to break up with him or disappear from his life, the more he wanted to start a family with her. "We'll be the best parents," he replied quietly. "Because we'll love our child more than any parents ever loved a child before."

Tears filled Melanie's eyes as she looked at him. "Oh Robert…"

Robert rinsed his mouth out and walked over to her. "No tears tonight. Come on, let's get to bed." He gently led her into the bedroom and crawled into the bed next to her. "And now to sleep."

Melanie was so tired that she didn't protest. She curled up against Robert's warm body and enjoyed the feel of his arm wrapped around her waist. That night she slept like a rock, and when she awoke the next day, Robert helped her forget all about the stress and strain of her surgical rotation.

A/N: Due to real life stuff, I am feeling the need to take a few weeks off from posting this story. I need a little break so I can ensure that the quality of this story remains high. I will return Thursday, July 7 with an all-new chapter for you all to enjoy. I'm sorry for this gap in posting, but I just need a little time to regroup my thoughts and get ahead again. Thank you for supporting this story for so long and I hope to hear from you again on the 7th!

-Foodie


	21. Love and Honesty

A/N: Well, I'm back! I managed to get quite a bit of writing done in that time and am feeling more confident about the story in general. I am still dealing with real life stuff, and as this story is requiring increasingly more research to do properly, I may have to switch to an every-other-week posting, but I'll wait for a few weeks to decide that or take it on a chapter by chapter basis. Know that I will finish this story, I don't intend to abandon it. It just might take a bit more time to write it. Thanks for sticking around! And if you're new to this story, welcome aboard!

-Foodie

"Valentine's Day is so clichéd," Melanie complained as she and Robert sat in his tub the morning of Valentine's Day. "It's just a day invented by marketing people to make money. I just don't see why people go so crazy over it."

Robert wrapped his arm around her waist. He was happy to hear that she felt the same way he did about the holiday. "So, does that mean you don't want to do anything to celebrate the momentous occasion?"

Melanie frowned and settled into his side. "Of course not! We have to do something for our first Valentine's Day together," she cried indignantly.

"You're not making any sense!" Robert said with a laugh. "You say it's clichéd and all about money, but you still want to participate."

"I know it's dumb, but I still want to say we did something special for our first Valentine's Day." She reached up and caressed his cheek with her soapy hand. "Don't you want to do something special too?"

"I thought we could stay at home and celebrate in my bed," Robert suggested.

"We could…But we at least need to go to dinner or do something special first."

"It's a little late to make reservations anywhere, seeing as today _is_ Valentine's Day, but I'm sure I can come up with something nice at the last minute."

Melanie turned around, sloshing water over the side of the tub. She sat on his lap and kissed him passionately. "I'm sure whatever you do will be wonderful," she said a minute later.

Robert sighed and sat back in the tub. Nothing like pressure to create a magical evening at the last minute to brighten his day. At least Melanie was easily dazzled, thankfully. It was too late to book a reservation at an expensive restaurant, but maybe it wasn't too late to book a hotel room somewhere. Maybe a hotel with a spa so she could get pampered. She'd just finished one of the toughest rotations she'd be taking, and had done very well; he'd say she'd earned it. And maybe he'd get a massage. He could use one. And maybe a manicure. He'd never admit it, but ever since his accident, he'd been unable to clip his own fingernails, having to resort to a weekly trip to the local barber for a trim of what little hair he had, and a fingernail trim. It was unorthodox, perhaps, but he didn't have the nerve to tell Melanie he couldn't do that on his own anymore and to ask for her help.

After their bath, Robert locked himself in his den for a while, searching the internet and making phone calls while Melanie studied on the couch. It took quite some time, but he finally managed to make a reservation at The Drake Hotel. There were restaurants and in-room spa services. Not only could Melanie get a body scrub or some sort of girly spa treatment, but he'd get to watch. It was a thought he relished. The hotel was also near several high-end stores he wanted to take her to. Maybe they'd be able to find some more jewelry for her. If he was lucky he'd be able to get her sized for a ring without her realizing it, perhaps if he did it under a pretense of getting her an ordinary ring. That way he'd be able to get her an engagement ring when the time was right.

"Melanie, we need to pack some things for an overnight stay," he said mysteriously after joining her in the living room.

"Where are we going?" She closed her book and looked at him, surprised.

"It's a secret, but make sure to pack the dress you wore to the ballet, and all the accessories. And change into something nice before we leave," he said, deciding that the pair of _his_ boxers and the tank top she was wearing weren't appropriate for when they arrived at The Drake.

He went upstairs and packed his tuxedo, along with some other necessities for an enjoyable night with Melanie. He also packed his camera, hoping to capture some of the better moments he planned to experience that night.

"You won't tell me anything about where we're going?" Melanie pouted, wrapping her arms around Robert's chest and kissing his neck.

Robert grinned and placed his good hand on top of hers. "You'll find out soon enough," he replied calmly, enjoying keeping her in suspense. "I think you're going to really like it, though."

"I've packed my bag, so we can go whenever you want," Melanie said a minute later as she unwrapped her arms from him and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Robert looked down at her and smiled predatorily. "You can't sit there like that on the bed…Oh, the things you do to me," he said quietly, sitting down next to her. "It's taking all my strength not to tear your clothes off right now."

Melanie grinned and turned to look at him. "You could tear my clothes off and we could go to our mystery destination a little bit later," she replied.

"Such an enabler," Robert said as he leaned forward and began to unbutton her blouse.

(SCENE)

Robert could have chosen a hotel that was more modern in style, but he knew Melanie would love the old, historical feel of The Drake. And the look on her face as they walked through the doors into the lobby didn't disappoint. Her jaw dropped open as she looked up to the high ceiling and saw the gigantic chandeliers. "Oh, Robert," she breathed, "this is the most amazing place I've ever been to. This is what I imagine the inside of the White House must look like."

Robert looked around, taking in the lush blue carpeting and dark brown paneling of the ceiling, and could see what she was talking about. He wasn't one to take much notice to fancy surroundings, but one couldn't help but be very impressed with the hotel.

Melanie clutched her overnight bag to her chest and walked around the grand foyer, taking in all the amazing sights. She loved anything that was historic, as Robert well knew, and was touched that he had chosen a place that he'd known she would love. She stood in silence for a minute before he gently took her arm and led her over to the front desk.

"Oh yes, Dr. Romano, your suite is ready now," the clerk said after Robert introduced himself. He held out two key cards to them. "You'll find it on the third floor, lakeside, at the end of the hall."

"Thank you," Robert said, taking the cards and handing one to Melanie. "We'll go up now to see that the room is to our liking."

"A suite?" Melanie whispered as they walked towards the elevator.

"My dear, I intend to treat you to the most memorable Valentine's Day of your life. I don't do things by halves, you know that," Robert replied conspiratorially.

They walked slowly down the hall, looking at the carpet and decorations as they went. It was almost too much for Melanie to take in. "Oh, this is the most amazing place I've ever been to. Robert, you are truly a wonder," she whispered, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it.

When they reached the end of the hall, they found their room as directed. Melanie slid the key card into the slot and opened the door a second later. They stepped into the room and she once again felt her jaw drop in wonder of it all.

The suite was grand, with a large window that took up most of the far wall that looked out on Lake Michigan. There was a king-size bed in a separate room for them and the bathroom had a Jacuzzi. Melanie felt compelled to call this fact out to him while he explored the main room.

"And look at the soaps and shampoos too!" she cried excitedly. "Oh we have to take a bath later on…It'll be nice to have enough room for the both of us."

Robert laughed from the other room. "Melanie come look at this view!" he called out to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist when she joined him and kissed her cheek. "Have you ever seen such a sight?" The blue lake seemed to stretch on forever, far beyond the horizon. He liked living in a city with such a large body of water in it. To him it seemed as big as the ocean. "Lake Michigan might not be as big as the ocean like you're used to, but I think it's quite large enough, wouldn't you agree?"

"It's definitely impressive," Melanie agreed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Oh Robert, I can't even think of words to express how I feel right now. It's all too grand and amazing. I feel so middle class in comparison, but I really like looking at everything."

Robert turned and looked at her. "You're nothing close to middle class, my dear. You might not have a bank account full of money, but you have riches much more important than the monetary sort." He leaned over and kissed her.

Melanie sighed after he pulled away from her. "Oh Robert, I love your kisses," she said quietly with a gentle smile. "I love making love, of course, but there's something so special and wonderful about kissing you. I hope we don't forget about that in the frenzy of our busy lives."

"Well then, allow me to indulge in a little more," he said, leading her to the sofa by the window and gently pushing her onto the seat. They leaned in and engaged in a long, languid kiss.

"You're right," Robert said, after they'd pulled away from one another and were gazing into each other's eyes. "I've forgotten how much I love your kisses too. Perhaps we should make eggplant parmesan soon and relive our first kiss…" He winked when Melanie blushed.

Melanie stood up and looked out the window. "Are we going to stay in the room for the rest of the afternoon?" she asked curiously.

"No, we are not," Robert replied, standing up and walking towards the door. "I've found a few places for us to indulge in some shopping, if you wanted to," he said, turning to watch as she hurried after him.

"Let me guess, it'll be a surprise where we go," she said as they left their room.

"But of course." Robert took her hand in his as they walked down the hall towards the elevator.

(SCENE)

Robert's idea of taking Melanie shopping involved going to the most high-end shops and lavishing her with anything her eyes lit up upon looking at. "Robert, I don't need a Prada handbag," she said in shocked tones as he walked it up to the cash register.

"Nobody _needs_ a Prada handbag, but you should have one anyway," he replied while pulling out his credit card and handing it to the sales clerk.

There was also a trip to a jewelry shop in which many rings were tried on. Robert was able to find out her ring size rather easily without her even realizing his true motive for doing so. Melanie left that shop one silver pinkie ring richer.

As they walked past more storefronts, one of them stood out to Melanie. "What do you think about this place?" she asked quietly, pointing to it.

Robert looked at the store. Agent Provocateur, an upscale lingerie shop that he'd heard of before, but never been in. It had a rather infamous reputation. "Are you sure? It's a pretty risqué place of business, from what I've heard about it," he said carefully. He hoped she said "yes" and would try on many pieces of lingerie for him to look upon. He had yet to purchase any for her, feeling that Melanie needed to be the one to pick out such articles of clothing. He knew what he found attractive, but it needed to be her decision.

Melanie bit her lip and glanced inside the store. "Yes, I'd like to go in," she said, taking a deep breath. "It might be fun to try on sexy clothes." She led Robert into the store where he took a backseat to her for once. She gathered several items to try on and pointed out some of the naughty toys.

Robert grinned and tried to hold back his enthusiasm. "I believe I like this side to you, my dear," he said quietly, trying to avoid looking at any of the saleswomen or other shoppers. He was the only man in the store and was drawing angry looks from some of them just by his presence. "I'll just stand outside the door while you try your clothes on," he said as she walked towards the fitting room.

"Do you want to help me choose? Or do you want me to surprise you later?" she asked carefully before going into the room.

Robert thought about it for a minute. He would have loved to have her put on a show for him and be able to pick out the pieces for her, but he knew he wouldn't be able to maintain his composure if she did. "Better to surprise me later on," he said before clearing his throat and smiling awkwardly. "But you pick out as much as you want."

When Melanie went into the fitting room, he wandered the store, trying his best not to make eye contact with anybody. He could hear some of the others in the store whispering and could make out bits of conversation. "Sugar daddy" was the phrase that stood out to him the most. He supposed to an outsider it might look like that, for Melanie was very beautiful and much younger than he, but he knew it wasn't the case. Melanie was no gold-digger, and his love for her was true.

It took nearly a half hour for Melanie to try on all the clothes, and while she felt embarrassed at the idea of anybody else knowing what she was doing, she loved the idea of dressing up for Robert. She was usually a very conservative dresser and protective of herself, but he made her feel so loved and safe in his presence that she felt brave enough to step out of her shell. Several of the outfits were quite provocative but were comfortable enough for her to wear. In the end, she chose three full outfits and several individual pieces.

"Well I trust you found some good stuff," Robert said as he handed her his credit card.

"I think you'll be happy," she said quietly, taking one more look around the store to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

"Did you want to get any toys or anything else?" he whispered quickly. When she turned scarlet and began to wring her hands, he waved the thought off. "It's ok, it's ok, don't pay any attention to me. You go make your purchases and I'll come sign for it after everything's been wrapped up."

A short time later they were finished and back on the street, looking for their next shopping destination. It was a cold day out, and growing dark. They shopped a while longer before heading back to the hotel with several bags among them. "This has been such fun, Robert!" Melanie cried as they approached the hotel.

Once back in their room, they dropped off the bags and freshened up for dinner. "We don't need to dress up for dinner," Robert said. "We're going to eat at the Cape Cod tonight, it's their best restaurant here. But I thought when we're done, we can come back here and get dressed up and dance the night away. Just us, right here. What do you think?"

"I like that idea," Melanie agreed. "And then we can cozy in the Jacuzzi, right?"

"Yes, definitely, but first, let's get to dinner, I'm starving."

It was a busy night at the Cape Cod, but there was only a short wait before they were seated. After ordering, they lost themselves in a conversation about work, rotations, and the day. They talked through their meal. Robert had ordered the steak and lobster and was brave enough to ask Melanie for help cutting his steak, while she enjoyed the curried monkfish. A dessert of chocolate cheesecake rounded out the meal. He would deny it later if asked, but they were so wrapped up with the romance of it all that they actually fed each other with their forks.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Robert," Melanie said after finishing her last bite of cheesecake.

"I love you," Robert replied boldly.

Melanie's heart fluttered as she looked into his eyes. "I love you too."

Robert placed his hand on hers and leaned in to kiss her. "Let's get back to our room," he said a minute later. "I feel like dancing."

After paying the dinner bill, Robert took Melanie's arm and walked with her back to their room. They each changed into their dressy clothes, and he turned on music in the main room. "May I have this dance?" he asked as Melanie looked out the window at the lake.

"I'd be delighted," she replied. Robert held out his hand to her and pulled her to his side. They took turns with slow dances and faster ones like waltzes.

An hour into the dancing, they stopped and sat down to rest their legs. Melanie turned and looked out the window again. It was dark outside, but there were plenty of city lights shining out on the water. It looked magical to her. "So, how would you rate this Valentine's Day so far?" Robert asked curiously as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the best ever and one being the worst ever…I'd say this one is a nine," Melanie replied, contemplating the day.

Robert sat up and withdrew his arm. "Only a nine?" he asked, clearly offended.

Melanie smiled and kissed his cheek. "Well the day isn't over yet," she said sensibly, "And we haven't been in the Jacuzzi yet or tested out the bed…Those two events will definitely raise the number to probably a twelve at least."

"Well, maybe we should get to that then," he said quietly. "Do I get to undress you before our bath?"

"I was hoping you would…"

"Can I undress you right now?" Melanie stood up and turned around so that he could unzip her dress. It took quite a while, for he was slow, and she had many articles of clothing and pieces of jewelry to remove. At long last, she was fully unclothed. He ran his fingertips up and down her skin and smiled when goose bumps broke out on her arms. "You are so beautiful, did you know that?"

Melanie blushed and reached out to undo his bowtie. "It's my turn now," she whispered, throwing the bowtie on the ground and starting to undo his shirt buttons. "I think you're beautiful too," she said once he was unclothed. After gazing at him for a minute, she turned and walked into the bathroom to turn on the Jacuzzi.

Robert shook his head in wonderment and followed after her. He still wasn't used to the idea of Melanie being physically attracted to him. He looked down at himself and wondered what she could possibly see in him. He didn't know why she liked him, but he sure was glad she did.

"Robert are you coming?" Melanie called out from the bathroom. He grinned at the possible response he could make, but chose not to.

"I'll be there in a minute," he called back. He thought about getting his camera out, but decided against it seeing as they'd be in the water. He'd use it later after they went into the bedroom.

(SCENE)

Robert opened his eyes and looked around the bedroom. Light shone through the windows and the bed sheets had fallen on the floor, leaving only the lightest sheet around them. Melanie clung to him to stay warm. He reached down carefully, grabbed the comforter, and wrapped it around them. Melanie sighed in her sleep and snuggled even closer to him.

As he lay in the bed, enjoying the wonderful feeling of the woman he loved holding onto him, he thought about the night before. He and Melanie must have spent an hour in the Jacuzzi, just sitting in silence, enjoying the feel of the steaming hot, bubbling water around their bodies. There was a view of the lake in the bathroom too that they had found mesmerizing. He definitely needed to get a Jacuzzi in his next house.

When the bath was over, Melanie had put on a fashion show in front of the main-room window. She tried on all the lingerie for him and even treated him to her version of a lap dance. He didn't think she had any real idea of what a lap dance entailed, at least he hoped she didn't, but he'd rather enjoyed it. Not that he had any real experience either, though he did recall one memorable moment on his twenty first birthday…Actually is was the only moment he _could_ recall of that occasion…Melanie's had been much more pleasurable. He'd managed to utilize his camera finally, and couldn't wait to upload them to his computer and decide which picture to use as his background. It would be tough to choose the best one.

After the fashion show, they had retired to the bedroom. The bed was soft and inviting, just like Melanie. As much as he had wanted to indulge in the carnal pleasures of the flesh with her, taking her to new heights and exploring all the possibilities they could share, they had ended up making love quite tenderly, long into the night. They'd have time the rest of their lives for the naughty stuff, but for now, he loved making love to her. He loved looking into her eyes and feeling their souls entwine. He loved the sounds she made and the way she moved in response to his moves.

"Definitely a twelve," Melanie had whispered in his ear when she unwrapped herself from him later that night. "Or maybe a thirteen or fourteen."

Robert had thought about proposing to her, but the idea made him so anxious he hadn't been able to work up the nerve. By the time he finally thought he could do it, Melanie had fallen asleep. And when she woke up that morning, his nerve was gone.

"What do you say to breakfast in bed today?" he asked as Melanie rubbed her eyes and sat up. "I can order room service, or we could go down to one of the restaurants. Whichever you want."

"Mmm, room service," she said sleepily. "Can you see if they have Eggs Benedict? But without the Canadian bacon." She stood up and left to go to the bathroom, and Robert enjoyed the view as she walked away. He called down and ordered breakfast, then put on a robe so he wouldn't be naked when the person arrived with their food.

A while later, Melanie and Robert sat in bed with plates of food balanced on their laps. "I've never had champagne at breakfast before," she said happily, taking a sip from the glass he held to her lips.

They talked about the previous day and the day to come and Robert realized something just as he finished his bacon and eggs. "I didn't get you your massage yet," he said with a frown. "We still have time before checkout at noon. Would you like one?"

"I've never had a massage before. It might be nice," Melanie replied quietly.

"I'll call downstairs and see what they can do," Robert said before leaving the room to make the call. Melanie sat back in the pillows and thought about what an amazing time she'd had. Robert was such a kind and tender lover and she never wanted this time with him to end. She loved how safe he made her feel. Safe enough to try new things and do things that might make her feel silly or self-conscious.

Robert walked back into the bedroom and lay down on the bed next to her. "They'll be sending two people up in the next half hour," he said, reaching out and taking her hand in his. "They have a couple's massage special so we can get one together." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

"That sounds like so much fun!"

Robert and Melanie lay side-by-side on the bed when the massage therapists arrived and held hands while being lavished with a relaxing body rub. "Oh…Robert…We have got to do this more often," Melanie sighed at one point in time.

"Why did I not do this sooner?" Robert moaned. "To think of the years that I've missed out on having massages…"

By the time they checked out at noon that day, both of them were completely relaxed and ready to return to the hospital the next day. "You start your next rotation…Are you ready?" Robert asked as they packed all their purchases in the car.

"I hope so!" Melanie said, feeling nervous suddenly. "Dr. Anspaugh says this will be a good rotation for me."

"Why is that?" Melanie explained how she was feeling drawn to cardiology and that Anspaugh thought it might be a good match for her. Robert listened carefully and smiled when she finished. "My future wife, the cardiologist…" he murmured as they drove away from the hotel.

Melanie grinned. "I love the sound of that," she cried.

"The future wife part or the cardiologist part?"

"Well, they're both very important to me…I mean, they're both going to be a part of who I am, right? But, if I had to choose just one…Wife. Definitely," she said quietly, trying not to blush.

Robert looked out the window, trying to ignore the beating of his heart as he thought about proposing. Part of him just wanted to blurt it out right then, but it wouldn't be perfect if he did that. It had to be perfect. Melanie deserved nothing less. He had no idea what the best way to do it would be. It had never been a possibility for him before now, so he'd hardly spent much time pondering the concept.

By the end of the day, when he and Melanie were curled up in bed together, he still had no idea of the best way to propose. It was such an exhausting thought that he was glad to be returning to work the next day to get away from it. He was going to talk to Elizabeth and give her the news of her permanent promotion. He was happy for her.

(SCENE)

Melanie's first day of the Internal Medicine rotation went quite well in her opinion. Tina Smith was finally not on the same rotation with her, and her assigned team was nice. The people who chose this field seemed to be the doctors who cared the very most about their patients. It was a thankless job, and rarely did they achieve glory or monetary riches, but they seemed to truly love what they did. Melanie had a great respect for the nurses and doctors who chose Internal Medicine. Egos remained well-checked, and even in her first day, she felt as though her team taught her a lot. It was demanding work, with rounds and hours nearly equal to that of the surgery rotation, but she felt more at ease and at home there.

Robert felt a little like he had during Melanie's Christmas break. She was here, but not with him. He was very lonely without her. He consoled himself with the thought that in just a couple weeks, he'd be in the ER working on consults and other important tasks.

He spent most of his morning in his office, working on paperwork. When Elizabeth stopped by to discuss a patient's care with him, he tossed his pen aside and looked up at her with a smile. "Lizzie! How are you today?" he asked cheerfully.

Elizabeth looked at him carefully for a moment before responding. "All right, I suppose."

"Glad to hear it," he said, standing up. "Listen, do you have lunch plans today? I have something important to talk to you about. Why don't you let me take you to Doc's for a meal?"

Elizabeth smiled and rolled her eyes. "You know, the last time you bought me lunch there, it didn't turn out well for either of us," she replied lightheartedly.

"Don't remind me," Robert said with a chuckle. "I've got some work to finish, but I can join you in an hour. I'll stop by your office to pick you up."

An hour later, Robert and Elizabeth were sitting in a booth at Doc Magoo's, looking at the menu. "The steaks are pretty good here, actually," Robert said casually, thinking of his first meal with Melanie.

"I was thinking of the Rueben, I haven't had one in years."

They both ordered Ruebens, and sat, talking while waiting for their food. "So what is it you wanted to talk about? Is it about Melanie?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes and no," Robert replied cryptically. "I want to offer you the position of Chief of Staff permanently. You've already proved you're up to the task."

Elizabeth looked surprised and saddened. "What brought this on?" she asked quietly as the server put their sandwiches on the table for them.

Robert picked up one of the sandwich halves and took a bite. He tried to think of the best way to explain it. "Sometimes a person has to make a change in his life," he replied. "My life has changed a lot since last spring. It's time I accepted those changes."

Elizabeth frowned and put her sandwich down. "Are you sure you won't make more improvements with your arm?"

Robert pursed his lips for a moment, weighing the outcome of telling her the truth. "I haven't had any feeling in my arm since the New Year," he said quietly. "It had been fading, but now there's nothing."

"Oh, Robert," Elizabeth breathed. She glanced at his bad arm and reached out to pat it encouragingly. It hurt her to think that he couldn't feel it. "I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this."

"I'm stepping down as Chief of Staff," he blurted out before taking another bite of his sandwich.

Elizabeth's jaw dropped at hearing this. "What? Are you leaving? You can't quit, you're the reason I came to County! You're the reason I came to America!" She lowered her hand down from his arm to his hand.

"I'm not leaving, Lizzie," Robert assured her. "I'm moving to the ER to work as a permanent surgical consult."

"What?" Elizabeth couldn't have been more shocked if he'd told her he was quitting to join a hippie commune. "You're going to—"

"Good afternoon, Dr. Romano, how are you today?" Robert looked up to see Melanie standing next to their table. "I just stopped by to order something to go." He watched as she looked over at Elizabeth and focused in on her hand on his. "And good afternoon to you too, Dr. Corday."

Elizabeth looked up at Melanie and saw the glare in her eyes. She could hear in her mind what Melanie was thinking: Kindly remove your hand from my man's arm, or I shall remove your arm from its socket. She quickly moved her hand away from Robert's and smiled at Melanie. "Would you like to join us? We were just discussing—"

"I was just telling Elizabeth about all the things you bought on Saturday," Robert jumped in before moving over in the booth for Melanie to sit next to him.

Melanie sat down and smiled at him. "Robert bought me a Prada handbag!" she exclaimed.

"Wow!" Elizabeth replied, "That is quite impressive…"

"Did he tell you about the hotel?" When Elizabeth shook her head, Melanie launched into a description of the Drake Hotel.

Robert was pleased that Melanie had enjoyed herself so much. He was also a little surprised at how possessive she was over him. Elizabeth had merely been making a friendly gesture, but Melanie wasn't going to stand for that, clearly. He liked that she was jealous of others who had his attention. And they couldn't do anything yet, but in just a few weeks' time, he'd be able to squeeze her hand or even give her a peck on the cheek in this sort of situation. Not that he was the type of person who engaged in public displays of affection very often, but it was still a nice thought. Being able to pat Melanie's hand reassuringly would be very nice right now, but he had to settle for patting her on the leg instead.

"That sounds like an amazing place," Elizabeth said when Melanie finished talking about the hotel. "Robert seems to enjoy spoiling you. Who knew he was so romantic?" She felt a pang of regret once again and tried to ignore it the best she could.

When Melanie's food arrived, she grabbed the bag and stood up. "I'll see you tonight, Robert," she said quietly before walking away.

Elizabeth smiled at the younger woman before returning her attention to Robert when they were alone again. "You haven't discussed any of this with her, have you?" she hissed.

Robert narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Discussing it would imply that I need to weigh my options still and to take her opinion into account," he replied coolly. "I have already decided this and she will find out when everybody else does."

Elizabeth was taken aback by his response. "Is that how you intend to always treat her?" she asked in shocked tones.

Robert looked away, silently fuming over the direction their conversation had taken. "It's my arm, it's my life," he finally replied. "I shouldn't have to ask for her permission." This was perhaps the last decision he'd get to make for himself about his own life; he wasn't about to give that up. Besides, Melanie trusted him to make the right decisions in his life, and theirs. Who was Elizabeth to question how their relationship worked? It was none of her business.

"It's not about asking for her permission, but she should be the _first_ person you tell, not the last. She'd probably appreciate being confided in. Think of it as practice for when you're married."

Robert looked at her sharply, and pursed his lips. Was it that obvious to her?

"Look, forget I said anything, all right? Tell Melanie in your own time, in your own way. You know best, after all," Elizabeth said quickly. "Why does everything have to be a fight with us?"

"Tradition," Robert replied, setting his sandwich down. "It's what we've always done, and probably always will do."

"I suppose you're right." Elizabeth stood up to leave. "Thank you for lunch."

As she walked away, Robert called out to her. "So, is that a 'yes'?"

She turned around and looked at him before nodding her head. "Yes, I will."

Robert at the last part of his sandwich in silence. One down, two to go.

(SCENE)

Melanie was very clingy with Robert that evening. He wanted to reassure her, but wasn't ready to admit to her about his arm. Deep down in the recesses of his mind, he was convinced that if his arm got any worse than it already was, then Melanie would leave him. His arm might not work, but at least it was still attached. He was still a "whole" person. Melanie deserved a man who could care for her and provide for her. How could he do that if he lost his arm?

"Robert, I missed you so much today," she said quietly as they lay in bed, startling him out of his thoughts. "I hate it when we're apart."

"I missed you too," Robert said, turning to look at her. "Unfortunately it's going to be this way the rest of your school career. Maybe we can meet for lunch some days. And we could start Waffle Wednesdays again too, if it works with your schedule."

"I could have met you for lunch today…"

Robert took a deep breath and reached out to take her hand. "I had important things to discuss with Elizabeth," he replied carefully.

"She was holding your hand," Melanie whispered, tears filling her eyes.

Robert closed her eyes, trying to figure out how to handle this. Should he keep Melanie in the dark as long as possible? If he did, he was likely to lead her to believe he was cheating on her. There's no way she'd stay if she thought he was being unfaithful. He felt like he was trying to hold sand in his hands, and the grains were slipping out between his fingers, only half of which were even functional. He hated to see the pain and fear in Melanie's face. He'd rather kill himself than be the cause of that.

Slowly, he sat up and looked down at her. "Yes, she was holding my hand," he admitted. Melanie sat up as well and studied his face, waiting for him to speak again. "I was discussing the fact that I am going to make her OR Chief permanently and that I'm stepping down as Chief of Staff." It was like ripping off a band-aid, it had hurt at first to say those words, but it actually felt better now, to have done it.

Melanie's jaw dropped and she was rendered completely speechless for almost a full minute. "Why? How? When did you decide this?" She couldn't even form a single thought.

Robert explained everything to her, from losing feeling in his arm after his polar bear plunge, and being useless at work except while in the ER, and how this move would make it safer for her career.

Melanie burst into tears and threw her arms around him. "Oh Robert, how could you keep all of this to yourself? That's way too much for anybody to deal with by himself!"

Robert let her hold him, and buried his face in her hair. The familiar apple scent was a great comfort to him. "I think I'm still getting the hang of this relationship thing," he murmured. I'm not quite used to it yet."

"That's ok, I'm still getting used to it too," Melanie replied before kissing him gently.

"In the interest of full disclosure, I will be having lunch with Susan tomorrow to talk to her," Robert said, looking into her eyes.

Melanie smiled, and then laughed. "I thought by 'full disclosure' you meant to take all your clothes off. I'm rather disappointed now…"

"Witty girl," Robert chuckled. "Well, if viewing my nude form excites you so much, who am I to deny you that pleasure?" He stood up from the bed and slowly undressed as Melanie watched and treated him to a couple wolf whistles. "But I think '_full_ disclosure' means both of us…" he said when he was done. Melanie grinned and promptly removed her clothes. "Much better."

Melanie threw herself at him and they were quickly embroiled in their hot and heavy activity. Robert felt so much more at ease after having opened up to her and it showed in his performance. By the time they were finished, he was curled up on the bed, clutching his knees and trying to catch his breath and Melanie had slithered off the bed, onto the floor. Her foot had gotten caught in the comforter and that's all he could see of her. He could hear her gasping for air, though. "You ok?" he called out to her when he could speak again.

"Oh yeah," she breathed. "Never better."

When Melanie had gotten back into bed and Robert was holding onto her tightly, he came up with an idea. "How would you like to join me tomorrow when I meet with Susan for lunch?"

"I'd like that," Melanie replied before they fell asleep.

(SCENE)

Robert was fully aware that his future at County was completely dependent upon Susan's answer. If she turned down his offer, he would be forced to retire, because he refused to work in the ER with Weaver.

He wasn't sure what Susan's answer would be. She would be taking on a huge responsibility, though he knew she could handle it. And as an attending, he could help her out as well, depending on the circumstances.

When he approached her on Tuesday, he made sure she was in a good mood before asking her out to lunch. "Melanie and I would like to discuss something with you if you're free for lunch today," he said quietly when they were alone in the ER lounge.

Susan's eyes grew wide and she gasped. "Oh my God, are you guys pregnant? Oh, this is wonderful!"

"No, no, it's not that," Robert said quickly, "It's actually work-related. An opportunity I'd like to offer to you."

Susan sighed and looked sad for a moment. "No baby…damn…" Then she smiled. "All right, I'm free today around one if you want to go across the street."

Robert contacted Melanie to see that she could join them at that time and reassured that she'd be there.

At one, Melanie, Robert, and Susan met at Doc Magoo's. After they'd ordered their food, Robert quietly explained to Susan what he was planning and the role he needed her to play in all of it. For the second time that day, her eyes grew wide. "That's a really big move, Robert," she said, looking down at the table for a moment. "I don't know if I have what it takes to be in charge…"

"Susan, you are one of the most level-headed people I know," Melanie said reassuringly, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "And you are so knowledgeable. I think you'll make a wonderful ER Chief."

"Why don't _you_ take on the position?" Susan asked, looking at Robert.

"I can't be in a position of power if Melanie and I are going to continue our relationship," Robert said in hushed tones. "If we got caught, it could ruin her career. That's not fair to her."

Susan looked back and forth between them and sighed. "Nothing like a little guilt trip," she murmured. After a deep breath, she spoke again. "All right, I'll do it. But you have to promise to help me out." She looked at Robert pleadingly.

"Absolutely," he replied as the server brought their food. "Every step of the way." He smiled as Melanie squeezed his leg under the table. Things were working out brilliantly. He was almost in the clear. Two down, one to go.


	22. Moving On

Robert thought long and hard over the next several days on the best way to approach Kerry. Any scenario where he _asked_ her to take over, didn't seem to work out the way he wanted. When he realized that asking her would be the problem, it was easier to change his strategy. He needed to tell her. This was his choice, his magnanimous moment that would, if done correctly, garner him glory and notoriety for some time to come. He knew the ER staff was none too fond of him, but they were also not fond of Weaver. If he got rid of her for them, they might look at him as a hero. Plus he had the residual hero-status from the security measures he'd installed.

What was the best way to announce Kerry's promotion? He thought of the time he'd given Peter Benton the side-job of racial equality assurance for the med school applicants. That had been a particularly brilliant move on his part. The look on Benton's face had been priceless.

The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to do it like that. Do it in a way that not only made him look heroic, but also gave her the sense of being ensnared. It was the very least she deserved. It was a shame that Melanie was on a rotation that was in a different part of the hospital and wouldn't be able to witness it.

Melanie was truly enjoying her Internal Medicine rotation. The pace was perfectly suited for her, and it gave her the chance to begin honing her diagnostic skills, which, as Robert had pointed out to her before, she had a knack for. "There were many different options for his diagnosis," she said to him at dinner one night. "I was supposed to present him for rounds and had to come up with the diagnosis. I asked him all sort of questions, and nothing fit. Then I asked him if he'd done anything unusual lately. He told me he'd been hiking out in the mountains a couple weeks ago. That piece of information, given the symptoms, which I'll spare you the disgusting details of, got me to thinking. So, I asked him if he'd ingested any untreated water from a stream or anything like that and he told me he had. So, I diagnosed him with giardia and my resident told me I was right!" Her face was flushed with excitement and her eyes shone brightly. "It was so exciting!"

"I bet it was," Robert said with a grin. He was happy that she was finally enjoying her rotations. She definitely showed her true potential with Internal Medicine, rather than the ER or Surgery. Melanie had a gentle soul, he knew, and it made sense that she was doing well there. He had hated his Internal Medicine rotation, having found it to be too slow-paced for his tastes. And there were no accolades to be found there. He was brilliant, and needed to be told so rather frequently, and Internal Medicine didn't provide that for him. "I'm so glad that you're enjoying yourself," he said as she handed him a plate of apple pie. "There's nothing quite like that feeling of finding your niche. And it only took you three rotations to find it!"

Melanie took a bite of her pie and nodded her head. "I can't wait to be able to do a cardiology rotation next year. That way I'll know for sure if that's what I want to do. I already have to start thinking about where to apply for the Match."

"Have you thought about that at all?" Robert asked her casually. "What cities would you be willing to work in?"

"I haven't thought about it at all," Melanie admitted. "I think I've always had it in my mind that I'd stay here at County. Or at least somewhere in Chicago."

"And what if you don't match in Chicago? What if you get sent to San Diego or New York City?"

"I don't think I'd like New York, it's too crowded." Melanie looked at him and he could see panic in her eyes. "What if I don't match in Chicago and I have to leave you? I never thought about that!" The panic had reached her voice.

Robert reached out and grabbed her hand reassuringly. "Melanie," he said sharply, to get her attention. "We aren't going to be separated. I'll join you wherever you're assigned. I promise." Besides, he thought to himself, we'll be married by then anyway. Of course we'll stay together.

"I don't want to leave Chicago," Melanie said quietly. "I love this house."

"I do too, but sometimes change is a good thing," Robert said, practically. "It is something to prepare yourself for, just in case."

Melanie ate the rest of her dessert in silence. She looked miserable, and it took not only a back rub from Robert, but a long kissing session as well, to bring her about again.

Later that night, as Robert held her tightly in bed, she wrapped her arms around him. "We have to make this last since I'll be on-call tomorrow night," she said before kissing his earlobe.

Robert had a flash of a memory when she did that. He'd nearly forgotten the first time she'd stayed overnight at his house. He'd awoken to feel her arms holding him and the feeling of her nuzzling his ear with her nose. He'd never told her about that. He smiled and looked into her eyes. "I'll miss you tomorrow…And we should probably get our fill of each other tonight because you'll be too tired the night after you've been on-call too." He moved around until he was comfortably on top of her.

Melanie wrapped her legs around his waist. "Definitely a good plan," she replied. This was the moment she loved the most. When Robert was preparing to make love to her. She loved the comforting feel of his body weighing her down, making her feel anchored. She loved the moment of anticipating that first sensation of their bodies joining completely. It was such a wonderful time, though it was so brief. Only a second or two before they were engaging in their activity, but they were seconds she cherished. And when Robert made love to her, she started second-guessing that. The actual act of making love, as well as the finale were both wonderful moments too. It was so difficult to choose. She'd have to keep trying it out until she could decide for sure.

(SCENE)

Melanie and Robert went to work the next day, and parted ways once they got to the doorway. He wanted more than anything to give her a kiss, but he couldn't. "See you tomorrow," he said instead as she walked away towards the elevator. She turned and waved, a sad smile on her face.

Once upstairs, Melanie became completely absorbed in her work, doing rounds and talking with patients. She had forgotten how much she loved interacting with patients. The ER and OR weren't exactly talk-friendly places.

She was nervous, though, about being on-call that evening. She didn't do well with very little sleep, and while she'd be able to sleep in patches, she had to be able to run down to the ER at a moment's notice if needed. Or if a patient was sent up to her, or needed help in the night, it was up to her to help them. She would need to do a full physical and take a history all by herself. She hoped her diagnosing skills were truly good enough.

During the day, Melanie continued to think about Robert and how much she missed him. She was going to miss the feel of his arms holding her as she fell asleep. She wondered if she'd be able to sleep at all without him next to her in the bed.

Robert spent his day plotting. He was still trying to decide on the best course of action. Should he tell Kerry on her turf, in front of the ER staff or should he call her up to his office and do it on home soil? Doing it in front of others would make him appear vulnerable, but would give her less of a chance to back out, if she was inclined to. He didn't think she'd turn it down, though. It was best to do it in the privacy of his office. It would be more imperious that way.

As the day went on, he kept finding ways to put off the inevitable by going to the ER for consults and working on stacked-up paperwork. His nerves were getting the better of him. It was time to just get it over with. If only he had Melanie to come home to afterwards, but he would be going home alone, with only Gretel for company. He could put it off until tomorrow when Melanie would be home, but he felt like he just needed to man-up and do it.

Just when he had mustered enough nerve to page Kerry to his office, he was called down to the ER for a consult. With a sigh, he stood up and grabbed his lab coat. Maybe tomorrow was the better day, after all.

The patient he was called down to examine was only five years old, and very upset to be at the hospital. His mother was trying to calm him down so Robert could examine him, without much success. "What's his name?" Robert asked loudly over the child's cries.

"Matthew," his mother replied.

Robert sat down on the bed next to the boy and reached his hand out to place on the boy's shoulder. "Matthew," he said firmly. When the boy looked at him with a startled expression, Robert continued. "Matthew, my name is Dr. Romano, and I am here to help you. Can you tell me where it hurts?"

Matthew sniffled a couple times and hiccoughed before pointing down to his lower right side. "I swallowed my gum and it got stuck!" he cried.

"Oh no, that's not good," Robert said sympathetically. "Why don't you let me take a look, all right?"

Matthew calmed down and lay down on the bed for Robert to examine him. Robert handed him his gold stethoscope. "Would you hold this for me?" he asked before leaning down and lifting up the boy's gown to begin the examination. The exam didn't lead him to think it was the boy's appendix, and after asking his mother several questions, he determined that the boy was merely constipated. "Prunes and a bran muffin, that's my prescription," he said before retrieving his stethoscope from the boy. "Thank you for being a good helper, Matthew," he said with a smile. "Feel better soon."

When Robert left the room, he walked to the admit desk to check the board to see if anybody else needed him. He was startled to run into Melanie there. "Miss Hahn, what brings you down to the ER today?" he asked, trying to maintain his composure.

"I'm taking a patient up to Medicine and I have to learn how to fill out the paperwork," she explained nonchalantly. "What brings _you_ here?"

"Surgical consult." Before he could say anything else, Kerry and Susan arrived to work on charts of their own.

"Hey, Dr. Romano," Susan said lightly as she walked past him. "Nice to see you down here."

Robert felt that this moment had been handed down to him by some kindly deity. Melanie was here…as were Susan and Kerry. He couldn't squander this moment. "It's nice to be down here," he replied loudly enough for Kerry to overhear them. "It'll be wonderful when this is permanent in a couple weeks' time." His heart was pounding, but when Kerry turned her head the instant she heard that, he knew there was no going back.

"What are you talking about, Robert?" she asked casually.

"Haven't you heard? I'm moving into the ER to be a permanent surgical consultant."

Kerry's eyes grew wide. "No…I hadn't heard anything," she replied in a stilted tone. "Well, it certainly will be…fun…with you here full time."

"That's what I'm hoping," Robert replied, trying to look nonchalant. "Though it's not as if you'll know. You won't be here."

"W-what?"

"I've already asked and Susan has accepted the ER Chief position," he said with a smile.

All the color drained out of Kerry's face. "B-but…what?" she stammered.

"I thought that it would be best, seeing as we're not the most compatible of colleagues."

"B-but…What about…Are you firing me?"

Robert was silent for a moment, reveling in her discomfort. Melanie walked behind him to get a chart and pinched his good arm as she did. Perhaps it was time to take pity on Kerry. "Actually, I was going to offer you the Chief of Staff position, since I know you're so fond of it…If you were interested, of course."

Kerry's expression went from panic, to shock, to disbelief, in a matter of a few seconds. "Why would you give that up?" she asked warily.

"Because it's nice to share," he said in a kind voice. Kerry narrowed her eyes in clear disbelief. "All right, I just need a change, that's all. Change is good, don't you think?"

Kerry still looked at him in disbelief. "Ask Anspaugh if you don't believe me."

"Congratulations Kerry!" Susan exclaimed suddenly, walking over to her and patting her on the back. "What a wonderful promotion!"

"Yes, congratulations, Dr. Weaver," Melanie added. "I'm sure you'll make an excellent Chief of Staff."

It only took seconds after their loud exclamations before the news began to spread like wildfire around the ER. Within five minutes, every employee knew.

"Well, I should probably get my patient upstairs," Melanie said when Dr. Carter had finished signing the paperwork.

"Oh, Miss Hahn, if I could have a word with you just for a moment," Robert called out to her while walking towards her. "Why don't we go somewhere quite for a minute." He led her to the empty Suture Room and drew all the blinds before saying anything else. "Well, it's done," he said, breathing a sigh of relief and leaning against a table.

Melanie hugged him and gave him a hearty kiss. "I'm so proud of you," she said before kissing him again. "Although, you were pretty cruel to Dr. Weaver…"

Robert shrugged and wrapped his hand around her waist. "I figured that if I had to do it, I might as well have some fun with it."

"I have to go now," Melanie whispered as his hand inched up from her waist to her breast. "We can't do this here. Let's just wait till tomorrow night…"

"I don't want to wait," Robert moaned quietly.

"We don't have a choice," Melanie said, trying to pull away from him. "I'll get in trouble if I don't go back upstairs soon."

"Just a couple more minutes." He pressed his lips to hers and slipped his good hand up her blouse.

He had unbuttoned her blouse and his face was pressed against her chest when the door to the suture room opened suddenly. There was no time to stop what they were doing. They'd been caught red-handed, by whoever was at the door. "Oh my God! You two couldn't even wait five minutes before pawing at each other?" Susan hissed, shutting the door behind her as she walked to a cupboard to look for supplies she needed. When she had the items in her hands, she turned to look at them. Melanie was quickly buttoning her blouse and smoothing her hair and Robert was straightening his lab coat. "You have lipstick on your chin," she pointed out to him. Robert frowned and rubbed it off with his hand.

"I should probably go, my patient needs me," Melanie said, clearing her throat. She kissed Robert on the cheek one final time. "I'll see you tomorrow night." With that, she ran out of the room, as though afraid somebody else might walk in on them.

Robert sighed and turned to look at Susan. She was grinning madly. "Having fun?" she asked teasingly.

"Actually, yes," Robert replied, smiling. "Well, I was, until we were so rudely interrupted…"

"Well, just be glad I wasn't Weaver. Though I think she's still standing at the admit desk, in shock." She laughed and walked towards the door. "Am I going to have to knock before entering any room when you move down here? Not that I mind…"

Robert walked out of the room with her. "I'm sure we'll remain quite discreet. This was just a one-time lapse of judgment."

As he walked towards the elevator, he thought about Melanie and the fact that he only had two weeks left as Chief of Staff. Only two weeks left to pack his office. Only two weeks that his office and desk would still be his…He'd try to find time to call Melanie to his office to take her on his desk, while he still had the chance. He'd never had sex at work before, and thought this was the most appropriate time. He'd see if she'd help pack boxes with him when they were finished. That thought sustained him through the long, lonely evening without her.

(SCENE)

Melanie's night was equally long, with very few opportunities to sleep. The ER was apparently busier than usual and many of the patients being seen were Medicine candidates. She was amazed at how much negotiating went on when deciding where to send a patient. Most of the arguments were about why a particular department _couldn't_ admit a patient. Melanie wished she could take all of the ones she examined, but there weren't enough beds, unfortunately. She'd been given permission to admit only three patients at the most. It was difficult to make a decision when she didn't know who else would be coming in later that might be an even better candidate. She would hate to make the wrong decision and have a patient suffer because of it.

By six the next morning, and time for rounds, she'd managed to get three hours of sleep, had admitted her three patients, and had prepared all her notes for presenting to the team. It took several strong cups of coffee to make it through the day and she still nearly fell asleep in her bowl of soup at lunch. Thinking about Robert and how happy she was for him gave her the energy to keep going. She couldn't wait to get home and celebrate with him.

She managed to call him a couple times during the day on her breaks. "I just missed the sound of your voice," she said while sitting in the stairwell. "Where are you?"

"My office, at least, it's mine for a while longer," Robert said over the phone.

Melanie smiled and leaned back against the wall. "You know, I was thinking about that…We only have a little time left for that office…Maybe I should stop by for a visit soon."

"Funny you should mention that, because I was thinking the exact same thing. I mean, you've wanted to test out my desk, and then I figured there's also my chair and the loveseat to try out too…"

"I think that sounds like a lot of fun to me. Too bad I'm too tired for that today."

"What time do you get off today?"

"Same time as you if we do it right." Robert laughed at her joke before she continued. "Well, I get to leave around four this afternoon, assuming there are no emergencies."

"I'm leaving at five. Do you want me to pick up dinner?"

"I'd love that. I don't think I'll have any energy to make anything tonight."

"When I get home, and we've eaten, we can go upstairs and I'll rub your back. Would you like that? And then I'll put you to bed."

"Will you kiss me goodnight?"

"Of course I will." His voice grew soft as he thought about her.

Melanie's heart melted like it always did when he was tender towards her. He always knew how to make her feel safe and cherished and loved. "I wish it was bedtime right now," she murmured.

"Soon enough," Robert whispered back.

Melanie returned to work feeling elated and invigorated. The rest of the day passed quickly for her. Fortunately, there were no problems when she drove home, in spite of being so tired.

Robert left work that day and stopped on the way home to buy dinner. He bought a bag of tacos and a couple beers for them to drink. He knew this was her favorite meal. When he arrived home, he set down the food on the kitchen table and scratched Gretel's ears for a minute, wondering where Melanie was and why she hadn't run into the kitchen to greet him. "Where's Melanie?" he asked Gretel while opening a can of food for her and refilling her water bowl. Gretel looked at him blankly and rushed to her dinner bowl when it had been filled. "You're no help…"

He walked through the first floor, looking for Melanie, and found her on the window seat in the living room. She was curled up, facing the window. Her head was perched on a pillow and she was sound asleep. Robert smiled softly to look at her. He knelt down next to her and kissed her cheek. "Babygirl, wake up," he whispered, calling her the special name he usually only used during their most intimate moments.

Melanie stirred and turned around to face him. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him. "Hi…" she sighed. Robert leaned in and gave her a light kiss. "I was asleep, wasn't I?"

Robert nodded his head and stood up when she sat up on the window seat. "You looked exactly like Sleeping Beauty," he replied as she stood up next to him. "I have dinner in the kitchen, do you want to eat now?"

"I'm starving, what did you get?"

"Beer and tacos."

Melanie's eyes lit up. "My favorite!" she cried excitedly.

The two devoured the food while talking about the interesting parts of their day. Robert always found it very amusing to watch Melanie as she ate a taco. She nibbled at them carefully so the shell wouldn't break, and tilted her head to take a bite instead of tilting the taco. "That way it doesn't spill," she explained defensively while he chuckled.

Robert continued to laugh as he took a large bite of his taco, which split down the middle, sending the contents spilling down his shirt and onto his lap. It was Melanie's turn to laugh hysterically, while he fumed silently. "Maybe we should be naked when we eat these," she finally said while standing up and getting a towel to help clean him off.

He hadn't planned on taking a shower that night, but apparently, fate had a different plan. When their meal was over, he stood up and looked down at his clothes. "These stains will never come out," he declared mournfully.

"Let's try washing them, you never know," Melanie replied sensibly. "I was going to take a bath to relax, would you like to join me?"

"Yes I would," he said, following behind her a she left the kitchen.

While the water ran in the tub, Melanie helped Robert out of his dirty clothes before taking her own off as well. Looking at each other in their present state proved to be too much for them to resist and they threw themselves at one another with reckless abandon. Robert pressed her against the bathroom sink while she wrapped one leg around his thigh. There wasn't time for protection, and they'd tried it before that way before and he'd yet to make a mistake. This time ended up being a near miss, however.

"Whoa, that was close," Melanie panted when they were done. "Maybe we need to go back to using protection."

"I just got carried away," Robert said, walking to the tub and turning off the faucet. "I'm normally better at that, you know." He stepped into the tub and sat down, turning to watch as Melanie joined him.

"Still, we need to be more careful," she said as she sat down across from him. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling as the hot water worked its magic against her sore muscles.

They sat and talked about what was going to happen when Robert moved to the ER. They talked about Melanie's rotations and which one to take next. "I was thinking of taking my psych rotation next, just to get it over with," she said, frowning.

"I wasn't too fond of my psych rotation either," Robert said sympathetically. "I like fixing something I can see and get my hands on."

Melanie grabbed one of his feet and rubbed it, much to his pleasure. He'd learned after their first bath together that she was an excellent foot massager and it never got tiring to feel her fingers rubbing his toes. While the one foot was occupied, he moved his other foot over to her and began to press it against her in places that made her squeal. "Robert!" she cried while letting go of his other foot. He grinned and continued what he was doing; enjoying the look on her face as she tried to remain composed and failed.

"Don't hold yourself back on my account, babygirl," he said with a grin. He continued to watch her, and loved the way she looked when she reached her peak and cried out. His favorite part of it all, was how relaxed she looked when she was done. To know that he was able to not only give her pleasure, but peace as well, was a wonderful feeling. He considered it just another one of his responsibilities as a provider to her.

When she looked as though she was about to fall asleep, he pulled the drain in the tub and helped her out. "Let me put you to bed, like I promised," he said quietly as she tried to stay awake. He dried her body off with a towel and dried himself off while she brushed her teeth. After she finished, he took her hand in his and gently led her to their bed. She climbed in and he tucked the sheets under her chin. "I love you," he whispered before kissing her gently.

"I love you too," she murmured as he stood up to leave. "Aren't you going to sing me a lullaby?"

Robert turned and grinned. "I don't know any," he confessed, coming back to sit down next to her.

"That won't do," Melanie said. "You'll definitely have to learn some for the future."

"I suppose I will…" he replied. "There's only one song I know by heart, so I'll sing it to you, but I've warned you before about my singing, so don't blame me if it's horrible." He cleared his throat and began to sing. "My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R. My bologna has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R. Oh, I love to eat it every day, and if you ask me why I'll say...'cuz Oscar Mayer has a way. . .with B-O-L-O-G-N-A."

Melanie laughed the entire time he sang to her. These were the moments that nobody at work would ever believe Robert was capable of, and she was happy to be the one who got to see this side of him. When he finished, she slipped her hands out of the sheets and applauded. "That was wonderful!" she cried as he stood up to take a bow. "I'm sure you can learn more too," she continued when he sat back down next to her. "When we do have a baby, you can't just sing about bologna to it."

"Aww, but it's my favorite kind of sandwich," Robert pouted.

Melanie reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him down to her. "Shut up and kiss me," she murmured as he placed his hand on her cheek and leaned into her.

They kissed until she fell asleep. Robert turned off the light and closed the door behind him before retreating to his den. It was only seven thirty.

(SCENE)

The last two weeks of Robert's tenure as Chief of Staff went by quickly. Each day he packed more of his belongings into boxes to take home. Instead of feeling sad or a sense of loss, he felt free. He no longer had to worry about meetings and paperwork and dealing with annoying employee problems. He could just focus on helping patients again, and his private life, now that he had something in it worth focusing on.

Melanie came in on her day off and helped him pack, as well as helped him check off a few other items on his to-do list involving his office. "Thank you for helping me with this," he said, catching his breath and standing up from the floor when they had finished.

"No problem," Melanie replied while sitting up from her lying position on the desk. "It's too bad we couldn't have done this more before you move out. But we have the desk in your den at home still…"

"This is true…" He reached out and took her hand in his, squeezing it lovingly. They sat in silence for a few minutes before putting their clothes back on. Melanie picked up a box and he unlocked and opened the door for her.

As they walked down the hall towards the elevator, Kerry Weaver appeared from around the corner. "Ms. Hahn, I'm surprised to see you on this floor," she said in greeting. "I thought you'd finished your OR rotation already."

"I did, I'm in my Internal Medicine rotation now," Melanie replied, shifting the box onto her other hip. "But today's my day off and I volunteered to come and help Dr. Romano with his office because of all the help he's been to me."

Kerry's eyebrows rose and she looked carefully at Melanie. "It's nice to see what a deep bond you two have formed," she finally said, glancing over at Robert. "That mentor-student bond is very deep, and can last a lifetime, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, I was very close to my mentors," Robert said with a nod. "And what brings you up here? Coming to take measurements for my office?"

"Well, I was thinking of having it painted," Kerry replied. "But I was actually here to check up on a patient."

"Ah, well, don't let us detain you," Robert said, motioning to Melanie to start walking towards the elevator. "We need to get these things to my car." He turned and walked after Melanie, who was holding the door for him.

As the elevator door shut, he could see Kerry looking in the direction of his office. He hadn't given her a key yet, so for the time being, it was still his, at least.

(SCENE)

On Robert's last day as Chief of Staff, Elizabeth brought in a cake she'd purchased for the occasion. "See You Downstairs" it read in blue icing.

"I'll miss having you up here," she said tearfully as the surgical staff gathered in the lounge for the cake. It never ceased to amaze her how many people would show up for free food.

"You'll be just fine without me," Robert replied as he took a bite of the chocolate cake. His face lit up when he looked around and saw Melanie walk into the room and over to him. "What brings you here?" he asked as she picked up a plate.

"Dr. Corday invited me to come down on my break," she replied. "I had to see you on your last day as Chief of Staff…"

"I'm glad you're here," he said quietly.

Melanie was a mix of emotions. She was grateful to Robert for doing this so they could have their relationship with less risk. She was happy for him that he was going to a job that he was good at and appeared to enjoy. She was sad that he was giving up the job that symbolized so much of his career. He'd already lost his surgical career, and while she knew he was still a great man, she knew his current work situation didn't accurately reflect that. His career had meant everything to him, so she knew this was much harder for him to do than he let on.

After Melanie returned to her floor, Robert went to his office and finished up the last of his paperwork as Chief of Staff. He could have been vindictive and left Kerry a mess to clean up after him, but he felt like going out in a dignified manner. He'd been a good Chief of Staff, and he wanted his transition to reflect that.

Donald Anspaugh stopped by in the afternoon to talk. "You've had a good run, Robert," he said, holding his hand out to shake Robert's hand. "You're ending it on a high note. And I know you'll do well in the ER. You'll be a great asset to their team."

"Thank you, Donald," Robert said, nodding his head. "That means a lot coming from you."

"You've been a great asset to us up here. And you'll still be working for us. Surgical Liaison…You've got some style, Robert." The two chatted for some time before Donald left to work on a bowel resection.

Melanie stopped by his office at the end of his shift. "I thought I'd see if you wanted to go out to eat before we went home," she said as he locked the door behind him.

Robert looked around and saw people coming and going all around them. He looked back towards his office and realized that it wasn't his anymore. It was Kerry Weaver's office now. He was no longer Chief of Staff. He was free. "My dear, I would love to take you out to dinner," he replied loudly, taking her arm in his. "And then we'll go home, and see what happens…" People glanced over at them. Some of them looked curious, some looked uninterested. Melanie's jaw dropped open as he took her hand in his and led her away towards the elevator.

That evening, Robert took Melanie back to the Italian restaurant they'd gone to on their first date. They enjoyed eggplant kisses again and had cannoli for dessert. And when they were finished, he took her home and redeemed a couple more of his naughty coupons. It was a wonderful way to end his day.

(SCENE)

When Robert woke up the next morning, he looked down to see Melanie's tousled hair poking out from the bed sheets. She was curled up next to him, keeping warm, and that was all he could see of her. He could feel her warm arms wrapped around his chest and was reminded of the fact that he still needed to buy her an engagement ring. He imagined what her hand would feel like when it had a ring on her finger. That cool metal touching him, getting warm from their embrace. It was time to get her a ring.

He was tracing her finger with his when she woke up. "Morning," he heard her say from under the sheets. He slid under the sheets to look into her beautiful face. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"It was a wonderful night's sleep," he replied, moving over until he was comfortably on top of her. Melanie smiled and wrapped her legs around his waist, and a short time later they fell into a comfortable and familiar rhythm.

As he made love to Melanie, he thought about how best to propose to her. Should he get down on one knee? Should he write it in the sky? There were so many possibilities and all of them were incredibly clichéd. He didn't want to propose the way millions of men before him had. Try as he might, though, he couldn't think of anything truly unique.

When their finish drew near, he felt Melanie tighten her arms around his shoulders and raise her hips to meet his. He looked into her eyes, and she nodded her head once before pulling him down as closely onto her as possible. He let himself go as she cried out. "Marry me!" he cried out impulsively before collapsing into her arms.

Melanie wasn't sure if she'd heard Robert correctly. She always focused so much on her body's reaction that she never paid too much attention to anything they uttered during their lovemaking. But, "marry me" was hard to miss, especially when they were words she had wanted to hear so badly for such a long time. She held him tightly, gasping for breath. "Ro-Rob-Robert," she panted, "Did-you just-pro-pose?"

"Uh…yeah…" he replied breathlessly. "I hadn't planned on doing it like that but…it sort of just slipped out…"

Melanie breathed deeply for a minute as not only the proposal, but what she and Robert had just done, sunk into her mind. What were the odds that she'd get pregnant and proposed to on the same day? Probably not very high. Finally, when she had calmed down, she sat up on her elbows and looked over at him. "Well…there's a problem we will have to solve," she said, with a faint smile as he rolled over to look at her.

"What's that?"

"We're going to have to make up a story to tell people about how you proposed to me, because it won't be very appropriate to tell our grandchildren that 'Grandpa popped the question mid-coitus which might very well have resulted in your father or mother being conceived.'," she said lightly before bursting into peals of laughter. How many others had ever been proposed to in such a way before?

Robert joined her in the laughter before leaning over and kissing her. "So, is that a 'yes'?" he asked, looking deeply into her eyes and already knowing the answer.

"Yes," she whispered.


	23. Fully Engaged

Melanie sat up in the bed and looked at Robert with wide eyes. "You just asked me to marry you," she said slowly, "And I just said yes…"

Robert sat up and smiled. "Yes, I did and you did," he replied. He watched as she sat in silence for a minute, working it all out in her mind. Suddenly, she screamed. He jumped, startled, his heart pounding.

Melanie hopped out of the bed and started rushing around the room. "I have to call my mother! She doesn't even know about you!" she cried, opening the door to leave.

"Wait!" Robert called out, "What do you mean she doesn't know about me?" He got off the bed and rushed after her.

Melanie stopped in the hall and turned back to him, a guilty look on her face. "I haven't spoken to my mother in almost a year," she said quietly. "I get homesick when I talk to her…And besides, I've been worried that she won't approve of us…"

Robert sighed and nodded his head. "I've been worried about the exact same thing," he said quietly. "I suppose there's no time like the present. Do you want me to be there when you call?"

"It might be a while, I should probably do it myself," she replied. "Why don't you go play with Gretel? I'll come find you when I'm done."

Robert kissed her cheek. "Good luck," he said before walking away, towards the staircase.

Melanie walked into the guest room and picked up the phone. She lay on the bed, took a deep breath, and dialed her home number. Her heart was pounding as the phone rang and after the third ring, her mother picked up. "Hi, mom…"

Robert went into the kitchen and fed Gretel before taking her outside to play. It was good to spend some one-on-one time with her. He definitely hadn't been spending enough time with her. Gretel appeared to relish the attention, bringing him several of her favorite toys for him to throw. She ran more slowly than he was used to seeing and he did his best to ignore what that meant. Gretel was nearing the end of her life span, but he wasn't ready to deal with it yet.

He was freezing and about to bring the dog back inside when Melanie joined him. "Well, I told her," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and kissing his cheek. "She was upset that I hadn't talked to her sooner, but she's happy for me. She's concerned about the age difference, but she didn't yell at me or anything."

"Well, that's a relief," Robert said, leaning his head against hers. "I suppose I should tell _my_ mother. She'll be thrilled. She'll probably drink a celebratory bottle of red wine in our honor…"

"It's so cold out!" Melanie said, shivering against his back. "Why don't we go inside?"

Robert called out to Gretel and they made their way back into the house. Melanie made toast while they talked about their plans for the day. "Do you want to go shopping for a ring?" he asked while she spread peanut butter on their toast.

Melanie grinned. "I still can't believe it!" she cried. "Do you know what this means? I only just realized it now: I'm your fiancé! And you're mine!"

Robert smiled and grabbed her hand. "Yes you are," he said, pulling her over to him. She sat down on his lap and snuggled up against him. "And then we'll figure out a date and eventually you'll be my wife…"

"I love the sound of that," Melanie replied, resting her head against his chest and listening to the sound of his steady heartbeat. "I can't wait until you're my husband." She fed him his peanut butter toast as he reveled in being treated like a king. "Can we tell anybody at work?"

"Susan and Elizabeth, I'll let you tell them," Robert said with a smile in between bites of his breakfast. "Hopefully you'll have a ring soon to show off." He traced her fingers with his again. "What kind of ring would you like? A big rock to show the whole world?"

"I think I should just go see what they have," Melanie replied. "I've never really thought about it before. I don't want a diamond like everybody else has. I want something really special. Maybe a sapphire to match my bracelet."

"You should wear it today so we can try to find something to match."

Melanie jumped up and ran towards the hall. "I can't eat, I'm too excited!" she cried, disappearing from sight. Robert stayed in the kitchen, sipping his coffee and thinking about the future. He wondered what the best time for a wedding would be. Melanie was in medical school and then would be entering her residency; there was no good time for a wedding. She deserved more than just heading down to city hall to take vows and sign paperwork. Maybe there was a way to have a small gathering, without much fanfare. She wasn't the type who wanted a large ceremony anyway.

He'd just finished his coffee when she ran into the kitchen again. She was fully dressed and wearing her bracelet. "Let's go!" she cried, running to the garage door and wrenching it open. She had the car idling outside in the driveway by the time Robert was ready to join her. "This is going to be such a fun day!" she cried before backing out of the driveway and heading towards downtown.

(SCENE)

Robert and Melanie spent a whirlwind day going from one jewelry shop to another. None of the rings was quite what she wanted, though, and as the day went on, she grew more and more frustrated. "We'll find it, don't worry," Robert reassured her before taking her out to lunch at one of his favorite steakhouses.

"Maybe we'll have to have it custom-designed," Melanie said with a frown as the server set her Greek salad in front of her. "None of the places we've been to do that."

"We could go to an actual jewelry designer," Robert suggested while she cut his steak for him. "That probably is the best chance to get exactly what you're looking for. But you'll have to have an idea of what you want."

Melanie opened her Prada handbag and took out a pen and pad of paper. She opened the paper and started to draw while eating her salad. At first she doodled aimlessly, but then she had a vision of what would make a nice ring, and started drawing. "What do you think of this?" she asked, handing him the pad of paper.

Robert took it and set his fork down to look carefully at the drawing. She had drawn a ring with a flower and leaves. She had made notes about which jewels to use for the leaves and the flower petals. Sapphire for the petals, green topaz for the leaves, and a seed pearl for the center of the flower. "It looks really complicated, but I suppose a talented designer wouldn't have a problem with it," he replied a minute later, handing the paper back to her. "I think it would be perfect for you."

"For us, really," she said in between bites. "The topaz is your birthstone and the pearl is mine, so it represents both of us."

"And the sapphire?"

"I just like it, and it matches my bracelet," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"_This_ is the ring," Robert said, nodding his head. "I'm sure there's a designer out there who can make this for you."

After lunch, they looked up some jewelry designers and went in search of them. It took several hours before they came upon just the right person for the job. The woman they spoke to looked at the drawing and declared that it wouldn't be too difficult to create the ring, though it would take some time. She showed them example pieces and answered all their questions as well as asked some of her own. Melanie had to decide what type of metal she wanted for the ring, and found it to be a very difficult decision. In the end, she decided on silver.

They left the drawing with the designer and a promise that the ring would be ready in two-month's time. Melanie had been sad to hear it would take so long, but understood. Robert wanted her to come away from the day with something to show for it, so he picked out a simple silver ring with a ruby in the center. "Oh, it's so pretty, Robert!" she sighed while gazing at her left hand.

Once they were back on the street, she turned and threw her arms around him. "Oh Robert this is the best day ever!" she cried before pummeling his face with kisses. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Robert, not generally one to get embarrassed over things, found himself turning red as he noticed several people staring at them. "Melanie, why don't we save this for home," he said quietly when she finally stopped.

"I want the whole world to know!" she exclaimed before taking her hand in his and walking towards the car. Robert sighed and walked along with her in silence. "You know, I've been wondering, why don't men wear engagement rings too?"

Robert furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I have no idea," he replied. "I'm sure it has to do with gender roles and stuff like that."

"It's probably totally sexist," she said quietly before gazing down at her hand again. "But I don't care!" When they got to the car, she kissed him again, on the cheek. "Oh I can't wait to show Susan and Elizabeth tomorrow!" She chattered all the way home and Robert was reminded of the birds outside his bedroom window in the spring. He was thrilled that she was so excited, though he exhausted from it at the moment. What he wanted now, was to go home, settle in on the couch and hold Melanie in his arms.

"Would you like to pick up a pizza before we head home?" he asked, interrupting her out of her excited chattering. "It's been a very long day, I don't feel like cooking, do you?"

"No, I'm very tired too," Melanie replied. She was silent for a while after that before starting up again. "You know…I've been thinking and I can't decide the best time we should get married. I have school and then when that's done I'll be heading right into my residency. I suppose there might be some time after I graduate and before my residency, but that seems so far off. I don't know that I can wait that long."

"Maybe we can find some time over the summer, in between your rotations," Robert said as they approached the pizza parlor. "I think you're right, though, there won't be much time."

"I can't afford a big wedding, and neither can my mom, so I think it should just be a very small ceremony."

"You don't have to worry about the money. This is _our_ wedding…"

"It's tradition, Robert. The bride's family is responsible for paying for the wedding."

"It's the 21st century, Melanie, get with the times! A man can help pay for his own wedding if he wishes to…"

Melanie laughed and parked the car. "I keep forgetting what an enlightened man you are," she said lightly as they went into the restaurant.

"Most people forget how enlightened I truly am," Robert replied. "Given, I don't always give them a reason to remember…"

They left the restaurant a while later with two calzones in hand. "When do you think you should tell your mother?" Melanie asked as they drove home.

"I'll call her tomorrow," Robert replied. "Maybe I'll take her out to lunch. She'd like that, I think."

"Oh, do, I'm sure she'd love it," Melanie replied, feeling only half-sad that she'd be at work and unable to join them.

When they got home, they settle into the living room with their food and watched movies for the rest of the evening. Melanie loved lying on the couch with her head on Robert's lap. She wrapped her arms around his leg and closed her eyes, just enjoying the comforting feel of being close to him.

She was nearly asleep when the second movie ended. Robert turned off the TV and roused her to go upstairs to bed. He wanted to make love to her, but knew she was too tired for it. Maybe tomorrow. Instead, they curled up together in the bed and talked until they fell asleep. "Thank you for making this one of the best days of my life," he said to her, reaching out and tucking her hair behind her ear.

"There have been better days?" Melanie asked with a smile before leaning over and kissing his collar bone.

"Well, the day I met you was a pretty good day," he replied. "And the first time we went all the way, I'd say was a very good day."

"You're right, those were great days too," she agreed. "And I'm sure we'll have a few more to add the list eventually." She rested her head against his chest and promptly fell asleep. Robert rested his chin against the top of her head and slept soundly as well.

(SCENE)

The next morning, Melanie trudged off to work reluctantly while Robert slept in. He woke up in enough time to call and invite his mother out to brunch that day. They made plans to meet up at her favorite place for brunch. Robert stopped at the store to buy a bouquet before they met at the restaurant. "Mother, how are you today?" he asked, handing her the flowers and kissing her on the cheek.

"I'm wonderful, now that I get to see you," Peggy replied before smelling the flowers and declaring her approval. "These are just lovely."

Robert waited until they'd been seated and had ordered their food before saying anything to her.

"Where's Melanie today?" Peggy asked, sipping a Bloody Mary. "You two haven't broken up, have you?"

Robert shook his head and took a sip of his orange juice. "No, she had to work today," he replied. He reached out and took her hand in his. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." He took a deep breath. "I wanted you to know that I proposed to Melanie yesterday, and she accepted."

Peggy's eyes grew wide and she clasped her hands together. "Oh Robert!" she cried, "I was wondering if that would ever happen for you!"

Robert cleared his throat and tilted his head. "Thanks, ma," he said sarcastically.

Peggy rolled her eyes and patted his hand. "It's just that you work so much, I didn't know when you'd ever find time for dating," she clarified. "I have always known you're a wonderful person and would make an excellent husband one day when you found the right woman. Melanie is a lucky lady."

Robert smiled and sat back as the server arrived with their plates. "I think I'm the lucky one," he said quietly as they ate.

Peggy buttered her toast and looked at him quizzically. "Is Melanie pregnant?" she asked nonchalantly.

Robert frowned and set his fork down. "No, she's not," he answered, trying to figure out why he felt so insulted by the question. "Just because you and dad got married because you 'had to' doesn't mean everybody has that happen," he snapped.

"Oh Robby, I didn't mean anything by it," Peggy said. She finished her Bloody Mary and ate some of her quiche before speaking again. "It just wanted to know if you two intended to have children, that's all."

Robert stabbed at his omelet for a moment. "We do," he finally replied. "Soon, if possible. I'm not getting any younger and Melanie's schooling and residency will make it difficult to put off having kids for too long."

Peggy beamed at him. "You'll be a wonderful father, Robby. You've always been so good with children."

Robert liked that somebody else had faith in him. "We're thinking one child. With my arm, it'll be difficult to take care of more than one."

Peggy furrowed her brow. "Why would you have to take care of the children?"

"Melanie's got a good career ahead of her. She'll be working a lot, I'll have to help. We don't want a nanny raising our child."

"It sounds like you two have done a lot of talking about this," Peggy said, shaking her head in amazement. "Your father would be turning in his grave…if he was dead," she sighed wistfully. "I never thought I'd see the day that a Romano man would be willing to put his family before his career. Your father and brother would never have even considered it…"

Robert scowled and stabbed his food again. "If you couldn't already tell, I am not them," he growled.

"And if you couldn't already tell, I wasn't saying you were," Peggy snapped. "Those two are old-school. Why do you think I left your father? I'm just glad you turned out a little more open to new ideas. Hopefully it's a trait you'll pass on to your child."

Robert took a deep breath and tried to calm down again. He'd spent his whole life being compared to and measured against the men his father and brother were. Usually he came up short, so it was nice to surpass them in at least one way.

Peggy ordered another Bloody Mary before starting up their discussion again. "So, have you two set a date yet? Do you know where you'll have the ceremony? Do you want me to call the church and find some good dates for you? Wait…Is Melanie Catholic?"

Robert closed his eyes for a moment before responding. "We haven't set a date yet, or a venue. And no, Melanie isn't Catholic. Neither of us is very religious, so I don't know if we want to have a church wedding."

"Will you go to City Hall? Robert, you deserve a wedding!"

"We still have to figure it out, mom. We'll figure something out."

"Well, I'd be more than happy to help you two with everything. You just let me know. I know of a very good caterer. And a florist."

Robert sighed and drained his orange juice. "Thanks, mother, but I think I'll defer to Melanie before making any decisions. This is more her area of expertise, than mine." He sat and listened as his mother chattered on about flowers, the pros and cons of an outdoor wedding, and the best types of material for a wedding dress. What was it about women and weddings? If he had his way, they'd exchange vows and rings in front of a witness and be done with it. They could go out for beer and pizza when it was over. That's how it would work if men _truly_ ruled the world…

By the time they were done with the meal, Robert thought his brain would melt, but he managed to keep a smile on his face. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before they left. He worried, as he drove home, that his mother might be too overbearing towards Melanie when it came to planning the wedding. He didn't want anything to stress her out, not when she had school to deal with.

When he got home, there was a ten minute message on his voicemail for Melanie from her mother with instructions and "advice" for wedding plans. So much for a stress-free wedding, he thought to himself.

(SCENE)

Melanie's day at work went smoothly. Rounds were easier than usual as they had several empty beds at the moment. She was able to work on studying and spending individual time with the patients. She enjoyed slow days because she could speak with her residents and learn even more from them. When they weren't being harassed and overworked, they were very willing teach her new things.

During her lunch break, she ran down to the ER to see if Susan was there. It was a slow day there as well and Susan had time to talk to her. "How are you enjoying being Chief?" Melanie asked as they walked to the lounge.

"It's all right, so far," Susan replied with a shrug. "I'm not used to all the administrative stuff. That's what I'm hoping your boyfriend will help me with."

They were alone in the room, so Melanie felt free to correct her. "Uh…actually Susan, Robert's not my boyfriend anymore…" she said quietly.

Susan's eyes grew wide and she looked shocked. "Oh no, what happened?" she asked.

Melanie was silent for a moment before holding her left hand out to her. "Well, he asked me to marry him, and I said yes, so now he's my fiancé," she said in a rush.

Susan gasped and grabbed Melanie's hand to look at the ring. "Oh, Melanie, it's beautiful!" she cried. "I'm so happy for you two!" She let go of Melanie's hand and threw her arms around her. "Although…I do recall you saying something about letting a full year pass before getting engaged to somebody…"

"I know…I guess I'm a hypocrite…"Melanie replied with a smile.

Susan was still hugging her and her hand was sticking out when Dr. Carter walked into the room. He couldn't help but notice the ring. "Oh, I see Romano popped the question," he said while pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Congratulations."

"Thanks!" Melanie replied. She glanced at the ring and smiled. "This is actually not the official ring. It's being made still and this is just so I could have something to wear…But I love it very much."

"So when did he propose? How did he do it? Tell me everything!" Susan demanded with a grin.

Melanie blushed, thinking of how it happened, and thought quickly about what to say. "It was yesterday," she replied honestly. "We went out to breakfast and just as I was going to take a bite of my pancakes, he asked me. Of course I said yes right away and started crying. After we ate we went and looked for rings for the rest of the day." She was satisfied with that story and would make sure to tell Robert later so he would know what to tell people when they asked.

"Aww, that's so romantic," Susan sighed. "Isn't that romantic, Carter?"

"Definitely romantic," Carter replied. "Congratulations, Ms. Hahn." He left the room to return to work.

"So, did you two set a date yet? Do you know where the ceremony will be? Will you be inviting anybody from the hospital?"

Melanie took a deep breath before answering. "Not yet, not yet, and probably," she replied. "Finding time with school is going to be difficult. And I don't think it'll be a big ceremony either. Just a small gathering with friends and family."

"You know, Lydia got married here…" Susan said.

"What?"

"Yeah, she and Al got married on the spur of the moment here. There was a priest on-call for a patient, so he performed the ceremony for them right in chairs!"

"That actually sounds perfect to me!" Melanie replied. "Get married and then go back to work…"

"Have you thought about a honeymoon?" Susan asked just as Abby Lockhart walked into the room.

"Are you getting married? Congratulations!" Abby smiled and walked towards the refrigerator. "Is it your banker guy?"

Melanie opened her mouth and shut it again without answering. Was she supposed to keep it a secret still? Robert did step down so they wouldn't get in trouble if they got caught, but that must mean that he would still prefer to not get caught. Best to keep up the charade, for now, at least. "Yep, Paul…" she replied, looking pointedly at Susan. She nodded in understanding.

Susan had to go work on a trauma a couple minutes later, so Melanie went up to Dr. Corday's office to see if she was there. As luck would have it, she was. "Dr. Corday, Robert wanted me to talk to you today," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"Please, call me Elizabeth," Elizabeth replied, pointing out the chair in front of her desk to Melanie. "What did he want you to talk about?"

Melanie held out her hand, showing off her engagement ring. "He proposed to me yesterday, and I said yes," she said, getting right to the point.

Elizabeth was taken aback for a minute before responding. "It's lovely, I'm so happy for you," she replied quietly.

Melanie bit her lip and clasped her hands together. She didn't like confrontations or hurting anybody's feelings, but she felt she had to say something. "Look, Elizabeth, I don't know what your past with Robert was, but I sense that you have an interest in him. Am I right?"

Elizabeth sighed and rubbed her temple with her hand. "We don't really have a past," she replied. "He asked me on a date, years ago, and I turned him down. That's the closest we ever got to doing anything together, I promise. Things went badly for a while and then slowly, it grew into a sort of friendship. It's never been anything more than that. I fell in love with Mark, we got married, and had a child. And then Mark died…And all the while Robert's stayed the same. He never moved on. Until he met you. Then, it was like he was making up for lost time. I was happy for him; I'd never seen him so happy before. And when I saw him like that, I saw what could have been if I'd said yes all those years ago, instead of no. Happy and free and kind. He worships you, Melanie, and he really love you. I suppose a small part of me _is_ jealous of you. I want to know the sweet Robert the way you do, but I never will. That makes me sad." She took a deep breath while Melanie absorbed what she'd said. "But know this, Melanie, I would never do anything to interfere with you two. I have more honor and integrity than that."

"That's always been a worry of mine," Melanie replied honestly. "I'm glad that I don't need to worry about it." She was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry that things worked out this way for you two. I mean, I'm glad for myself, but I'm still sorry that you're unhappy…"

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "The more I think about it, the more I can see how truly incompatible Robert and I would have been, had things gone differently. You and he truly are meant to be together." What she didn't say to Melanie was that they were perfect for each other because Robert needed to be needed, and Melanie was comfortable with a more old-fashioned relationship. She didn't seem to mind that Robert was clearly the head of their relationship. Elizabeth was far too independent for that. She and Robert would have constantly butted heads about who was in charge.

And on a purely vain level, though she was ashamed to admit it to herself, she had always been uncomfortable with the idea of dating a man who was shorter than her. Robert and Melanie complimented each other in a physical sense, as well. They looked good together, nobody could deny that. They were a true example of yin and yang, she thought.

"Have you told your family yet?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"I called my mom yesterday," Melanie replied. "I hadn't told her about Robert at all, so she was still pretty shocked, but very happy for us. She wants to know when we set a date the moment we do!"

"Do you think your family will fly out for the ceremony?"

"I'm not sure. It would be nice, but it's so expensive…Nobody in my family has ever left Astoria before. I'm definitely the jet-setter…"

Elizabeth nodded her head. "I'm the same way. Chicago feels like a whole world away from England," she replied.

Melanie looked sad for a moment before looking at her watch. "I have to go back upstairs," she declared quietly, standing up to leave.

"Congratulations," Elizabeth said as the younger woman left. "I really am happy for you two."

Melanie spent the rest of her shift missing her family and worrying about what to do for her wedding.

(SCENE)

By the time Melanie got home, Robert was ready to throw his phone out the window. His mother had called him four times with more questions and suggestions and Melanie's mother had called twice, and he'd been forced to have awkward conversations with her. He'd heard horror stories about mothers-in-law and hoped his wouldn't be one of the bad ones. It was a strange thought to even _have_ a mother-in-law; it would definitely take more time to adjust.

Robert was on the phone with Melanie's mom when Melanie walked in the door. He quickly handed the phone over to her. "Mom…mom…but…but…I don't…I haven't…" He listened as the conversation went on like that for about five minutes before it ended. "I love you too, bye," Melanie said before hanging up. She threw herself into Robert's arms. "We haven't even been engaged for two days yet and already our wedding is being hijacked!" she cried.

"My mother's been the same way since I told her this morning. Maybe we should elope…" He kissed her on the forehead and held her tightly.

"That might not be such a bad idea, actually," she replied. "We haven't even started making plans and I'm already sick of it."

"We'll just have to stand up to our mothers, that's all," Robert said resolutely.

"Do you think that'll actually work?"

"Absolutely not," Robert replied, "but at least we can say we tried…"

"So much for a fun engagement."

Robert frowned to see how down this was getting her. "Here's a thought," he said lightly, "we don't really have any ideas for a wedding, right? Well, why not let our mothers plan it all for us? We could fly your mom out here and she and my mom can have at it. Maybe they'll kill each other…"

Melanie looked horrified for a moment, but laughed when she realized he was joking. She ran her hands up and down his chest, enjoying the feel of his strong muscles. "I suppose we could be glad that our mothers are excited for us. It could be a lot worse…"

"True," he said, "it could." He leaned in and kissed her gently. "Do you want to…" he pointed to the counter and wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "It's a great stress-reliever, you know."

Melanie grinned and nodded her head. She quickly disrobed, as did Robert, and they embraced in the middle of the kitchen, hugging and kissing passionately. "Oh Robert, I love you so much," she whispered as he carefully walked them over to the counter and helped her up. He leaned down and kissed her, causing her to cry out. She loved when he did that. He continued until she was satisfied.

Robert stood up and looked deeply into her eyes as she caught her breath. When he was certain she was ready, he slipped into her, enjoying the sounds she made as he took his time with her. After they'd finished and had put their clothes back on, he decided that engagement sex was much better than regular sex. Would married sex be even better than engagement sex?

"Well, I guess we should get dinner ready now," Melanie said as they stood in the kitchen again. They worked side-by-side, preparing their meal, and enjoying each other's presence in silence.

As she chopped vegetables, Melanie thought about the fact that they were no longer using protection during sex. Was she really ready for a baby? Was anybody ever really ready? If she got pregnant now, it would definitely interfere with school. She didn't want to have to drop out; being a doctor was really important to her. But if she got pregnant too late, it would interfere with her residency. She supposed they'd figure it out, if she _did_ get pregnant.

(SCENE)

Robert went to work the next day and had to remind himself to press the down button for the elevator. He felt a little nervous, officially starting his new position in the ER. The first thing he saw helped put him at ease. Susan was at the admit desk, and grinned at him as he approached her. "So, I hear congratulations are in order," she said quietly in greeting. "Melanie showed me the gorgeous ring you bought her…"

Robert allowed himself to smile slightly. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Does the whole ER know?"

"Just Carter and Abby, but Abby thinks Melanie's marrying the banker guy. Melanie seems to think it's better to keep the story going, but I don't know if it matters anymore. I don't think anybody here cares enough to go to Weaver if they found out."

"I think we'll just let it happen on its own," Robert replied. "Melanie's sure to visit down here and if somebody sees us, then they see us…" He looked at the board and saw it was a slow morning. "How are things going here? Are you adjusting all right?"

"There's some of the administrative stuff I was hoping you could help me with. I don't know how it all works yet," Susan replied, looking hopeful.

"Sure, no problem. Just call me when you need me." Robert grabbed a chart. "I'll just work up this patient if you don't need my help right now." As he walked away to the curtain area, he realized that this is what he really wanted. To help out where people needed him, and to be left alone for the rest of the time. This could really be a perfect job for him.

He walked up to the patient who was seated on the exam table. "So, Mr. Stewart, I'm Dr. Romano. I see you have a burn on your arm," said in greeting while setting the chart down next to Mr. Stewart. "Why don't I take a look at it for you?"

Robert did five surgical consults on his first day in the ER. It felt great to help out like that. When he wasn't doing consults, he was helping Susan or dealing with a patient. Residents and med students came to him for advice. It was wonderful. The only things that were difficult for him were working on traumas, where his arm got in the way, and dealing with patients who required two arms to properly treat. Over the course of his first week, he quickly learned what he could and couldn't do.

Melanie visited him on their lunch breaks and the people who didn't already know about them were left wondering just why she liked to spend so much time with him. "I like getting to see you every day," she said as they walked back from Doc Magoo's one day. She wrapped her arm through his and he didn't try to stop her, which made her smile. "It's nice on days like this when I have to be on-call all night long and won't get to see you tonight."

"I hate on-call days," Robert said, frowning at the thought of going to sleep alone that night. "I'm going to miss you…"

"I know, but it's only one night," Melanie replied practically when they walked back into the ER. They talked for a few minutes in front of the admit desk before she had to leave again. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said sadly before turning away from Robert.

She'd walked a few steps away from him before he called out to her. "Wait a second, Melanie, you forgot something."

Melanie turned around, looking curious as he walked over to her. "What did I forget?" she asked.

"This," he said before reaching out to grab her by the arm and pull her to him. He grinned for a second before kissing her passionately in front of everybody. When he pulled away from her and looked around, it seemed as though the world had come to a screeching halt. People were frozen in mid-action as they watched.

Abby Lockhart was standing next to them at the admit desk with confusion showing clearly on her face. "But what about your banker guy?" she asked Melanie, glancing down at her engagement ring.

Dr. Carter, who was down the hall from them, heard this and burst out laughing. "There is no banker guy!" he called out loudly. "_Romano_ is banker guy!"

"What?" Abby asked, taking a step back and looking at Robert and Melanie.

Susan joined them and laughed as well. "Well, so much for letting them find out on accident," she said jovially. She turned to Abby to explain. "They've been dating forever but had to keep it under wraps, so they made up a fake boyfriend for Melanie. But now that Melanie isn't working directly with Robert, there's not much reason to keep it a secret anymore."

"What?" Abby asked again. "You're marrying Dr. Romano?" She turned and looked at Melanie curiously. A flurry of voices started up from hearing that. Apparently there were still a few people who hadn't heard of Melanie's engagement.

"Yes, and I'm very happy," Melanie said with a smile. "And I'm going to be very late if I don't get back upstairs now. Goodbye!" She kissed Robert for a moment before turning and rushing off to the elevator.

Robert smirked at Abby when things slowly returned to normal. "What, you think I'm not the marrying type?" he asked before walking off to find a patient.

"Actually, no…" Abby said quietly before walking away.

"Oh my God, that was hilarious!" Susan said as she and Robert walked down the hall. "I thought Abby was going to pass out."

Robert laughed and enjoyed his moment of infamy as the rest of the staff congratulated him. He couldn't tell for sure, but he thought they might actually respect him a little bit more now that they knew the truth.


	24. Coming and Going

"Melanie, wake up! It's time for work," Robert called out from the bathroom as he stepped out of the shower. This was the second time this week she'd missed out on a co-ed shower due to sleeping in. "If you're late, it's not my fault!"

Melanie stirred and rubbed her eyes for a minute before sitting up. "I don't want to go," she pouted as Robert entered the room and came over to her. He sat down on the bed and put his arm around her. "I'm so tired still, I feel like I didn't get any sleep at all!"

"But you went to bed at eight last night, you've gotten ten hours of sleep!" He squeezed her arm and frowned when she rested her head on his shoulder. "Maybe you're coming down with something…"

"It's almost April, not exactly the cold and flu season anymore," Melanie replied quietly. "It's just the rotation is draining me."

"But you love this rotation."

"I do, but it's still tiring."

"You were never this exhausted during your OR rotation. Maybe you should check your iron level, you could be anemic."

"Probably, I don't have much time to eat anymore." She stood up and trudged off to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and leaving Robert alone in the bathroom.

Robert walked down to the kitchen and started breakfast for them. As he put bread in the toaster, he glanced at the calendar on the wall and stopped short. Melanie's period was due in two weeks. She was tired and crabby. It was a little early for her premenstrual symptoms to begin. But he remembered she'd had a period last month. He clearly remembered her crying for two days, and he'd written it on the calendar in his office where she couldn't see it. He always kept track of her periods so he'd know when to buy ice cream and potato chips for her and make it look like a coincidence.

Melanie couldn't be pregnant yet, could she? They'd only been trying for a month, usually it took several months of trying. What if she was pregnant? Robert allowed himself to dwell on that thought for a while, and felt himself growing excited. They'd talked about it a lot, and he knew he was ready to be a father. Would they have a daughter? A little girl who played dress-up and had tea parties and looked just like a younger version of her mother. Or maybe a son? A boy who would follow in his footsteps and become a great surgeon one day. Though there was nothing wrong with a daughter becoming a surgeon. And as much as he hoped a son of his wouldn't want to play dress-up and have tea parties, he supposed he'd love his son no matter what. That was one thing he'd never understood about parents and children. How a parent could reject their child because they weren't what they expected or didn't become what they wanted. A child was a part of the parent, and vice versa. How could any parent reject their own child?

Robert shook himself out of his thoughts. He didn't even know for sure if Melanie was pregnant or not. He couldn't allow himself to get excited yet over what might be nothing at all. He had two weeks to wait to find out if her fatigue was truly work-related or not…It was going to be a long two weeks.

He was buttering the toast as best he could when Melanie joined him in the kitchen. She opened the fridge door and looked around for something to eat. "I made toast," he said, setting the knife down.

"I don't want toast!" Melanie snapped. "I don't know what I want, I hate food and I hate eating! Just the smell of food makes me sick to my stomach!" She slammed the fridge door shut and walked over to the counter next to Robert. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired and cranky and I shouldn't take it out on you," she said quietly, reaching out and taking a piece of toast.

"It's all right, don't worry about it," Robert reassured her. "Everybody has cranky moments, just look at me…"

Melanie smiled and kissed his cheek. "You aren't very cranky anymore," she replied before finishing her toast and grabbing a second piece.

"I guess I just have things in my life that make me happy now," Robert said before kissing her cheek in return. When she finished her food, he told her it was time to go for the day. He walked out the door to the garage with his arm around her shoulders.

Melanie drove to work that morning feeling like she might fall asleep at the wheel. Fortunately, Robert was in a talkative mood, and kept her alert. When they parked, he frowned at her. "You really _should_ get your iron levels checked out," he said as they walked into the hospital. "You do look a little pale…"

Melanie sighed. "I'll try to find some time soon," she murmured before leaving him to walk up to her floor. The walk up the stairs that she had hoped would wake her up backfired and left her even more exhausted than before. Maybe Robert was right, maybe it was time to get her iron levels tested.

That morning, she made several errors during rounds, something quite unusual for her, and something that didn't go past her resident unnoticed. "Is everything all right?" Dr. Patterson asked after pulling her aside to talk. He looked concerned.

"I'm just so tired all the time," Melanie said honestly, shaking her head in confusion. "I don't understand it. I get plenty of sleep, at least on the days I'm not on-call. I think my diet's pretty good, considering, and I'm definitely not lacking in exercise, that's for sure."

Dr. Patterson frowned and looked carefully at her face. "You should get blood work done," he declared. "You're very pale, maybe you're anemic, or maybe it's your thyroid, or both."

"I don't want to be any trouble…"

"It'll be a good learning experience; we can let the other med students take you on as a case. We'll get the diagnosis, I'm sure of it," Dr. Patterson said, smiling and leading her back to the team. He looked at the two other med students. "Have I got a treat for you today…"

Melanie was taken to an exam table where Bill King, a fellow med student, took her blood. He clearly hadn't had as much experience as she had in drawing blood, because it took four sticks to get it right. "I'll send this off to the lab for a CBC, an iron level, and a thyroid count," he said with a smile as he looked at the vials of blood.

Dawn Sampson, the other med student, was assigned to do Melanie's physical and history. "Nothing below the waist!" Melanie declared firmly before they started.

"But Mel, we're supposed to do it properly!"

"No! You are not doing a rectal on me!"

"Not that I really wanted to, but I suppose we can skip it. Unless Dr. Patterson tells me to."

Melanie sighed in relief and let Dawn look in her ears and nose with no complaints. Dawn examined her throat and neck. "Your thyroid doesn't feel enlarged," she said, writing notes on her chart.

When they started the history, Dawn asked the usual questions, noting that Melanie had been a vegetarian for six months. "When was your last period?" she asked, looking up from her chart.

Melanie thought for a moment. "A couple weeks ago," she replied. "I did notice it was much lighter than normal. And it only lasted a couple days. Maybe I _am_ super anemic…"

Dawn made a note on her chart. "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"How could I? I just had my period a couple weeks ago," Melanie replied, frowning.

"Yes, but _could_ you be pregnant? Is there _any_ possibility at all?"

Melanie was silent for a while, thinking about it. She and Robert _had_ been having unprotected sex, that was true. But she'd had her period, so she couldn't be pregnant. Right? "I suppose there have been circumstances in which I could become pregnant," she finally said as Dawn wrote a note on the chart.

"Do you think you know what it is?" Melanie asked when the history was finished, biting her lip and crossing her arms.

Dawn furrowed her brow and looked at her chart. "Let's wait and see what the blood tests tell us before making any sort of diagnosis," she said with a smile. "Oh, also, take a pregnancy test tomorrow morning." With that, she left the exam room and Melanie was alone to get dressed again.

The day continued for the med students and Melanie went on with her assignments. She did her best to keep her mind off the idea of being pregnant. It just wasn't possible, right? The exhaustion would make a lot of sense if she was newly pregnant. And the cranky attitude. But she'd had a period last month…Or had she? It was really light and didn't last very long. What if it had been implantation? That was supposed to cause similar, yet lighter symptoms…Her heart began to pound. It would explain everything, even the anemia.

By the afternoon, things were so busy that she had no more time to worry. Her blood test results came back and during a lull in the work, Bill pulled her aside and informed her that she was, in fact, anemic. "You should definitely take iron supplements," he said with a smile.

"So, did the mystery get solved?" Dr. Patterson asked her at the end of her shift.

"I'm anemic, according to the blood work," Melanie replied with a nod. "I'm going to stop at the drugstore tonight to get some vitamins."

"Good idea," Dr. Patterson replied, patting her on the shoulder. "You'll feel better in no time, no doubt."

That evening, as Melanie drove home with Robert, she went to a drugstore. "I need to get some stuff," she informed him without making eye contact. "Did you want to stay in the car?"

"No, I'll come with you," he said, getting out of the car to join her. He noticed that she looked nervous and disappointed. "What do you need to get?" he asked casually.

"Some vitamins," she replied quickly, still not looking at him. "And some girl stuff…"

"Ah, girl stuff," Robert said, nodding his head in understanding. "Well, I will be perusing the magazines; you can come get me when you're done."

As he looked at the latest National Geographic, he tried to ignore his disappointment. If Melanie needed "girl stuff", then she wasn't pregnant. He sighed and set the magazine down. It was strange of her to be buying those items now when she wasn't due for a couple weeks. Actually, it was _very_ strange…Were there other products a woman needed for others times that were found on the same aisle? He ruled out several items pertaining to the bedroom that they either didn't need or use, and a few other things that he knew she didn't use. That left only one thing he could think of…His hope returned with a bound, and he hurried off to join his fiancé. This was possibly a huge moment in their lives and he wasn't about to be left out of it. Melanie was reading the labels of every type of pregnancy test that the drug store sold. There were so many different kinds and each had their own way of showing if you were pregnant or not. And some were far more expensive than others. Which was the best? She tried to recall which kind the hospital used, but couldn't find one that reminded her of it.

She was just about to ask a pharmacist for advice when Robert suddenly emerged from the end of the aisle. He rushed over to her. "You're pregnant!" he cried.

"Shh!" she hissed, reaching out and clapping a hand over his mouth. "I don't know yet for sure." She took her hand off his mouth and frowned. "How did you know?"

"It would explain a lot," he replied, grabbing one of the boxes and looking at it. "You're extremely tired-probably the progesterone. And your period last month was probably—"

"Implantation, my thoughts exactly," Melanie interrupted, nodding her head. "I was doing the math earlier today. That happens ten to fourteen days after conception. Conception can take up to three days. If you do all that subtraction, that takes us back to…"

Robert's jaw dropped open. "What are the odds of that?" he said in awe. "First time…I'm good!"

Melanie rolled her eyes and patted his arm. "Nobody will question your virility now," she said, sounding amused. "Well, we still need to find out for sure. I need to ask a pharmacist which of these is the best."

Robert walked with Melanie over to the pharmacy, puffing his chest out and feeling as proud as a peacock. It had taken his brother and his wife several months to get pregnant. Apparently this was something else he was superior at doing as well…

He stood next to Melanie, with his arm around her waist possessively as she asked the young, handsome pharmacist which brand to purchase. The pharmacist assured them that they were all good brands and that there was nothing wrong with the cheapest brand. Robert, not wanting the pharmacist to think he was lacking in funds, purchased the most expensive one instead. He kept his arm around Melanie until they returned to the car.

"Robert, why do you have to be so possessive?" Melanie chided him. "He's hardly going to hit on a woman who already thinks she's pregnant…"

"You never know," Robert replied. "Maybe he would think you were slutty…"

"Oh Robert!"

"Well, some men think like that…I have to keep you safe from men like that. They're the ones who won't take 'no' for an answer."

Melanie sighed and didn't speak anymore. Apparently just the possibility of a pregnancy was enough to regress Robert back to the level of a caveman. And apparently his paternal instincts were quite strong, and already kicking in. She smiled to herself. It did feel nice to know that he loved her and cared enough for her and their theoretical child to be so protective.

Robert insisted on making dinner while Melanie sat at the kitchen table, resting her feet on a chair. "Are there any other symptoms you've been experiencing that you didn't think of before now?" he asked while sautéing vegetables.

"I've been a little bloated lately, but that could be from anything," she replied. "And, remember a couple days ago when I told you to stop touching me because my breasts were sore? How could I have missed all of this?" She sighed and looked down at Gretel who was sitting by her, waiting for her ears to be scratched.

"Because you're extremely busy, and all the symptoms can be explained by other things, and you're only human," Robert replied, adding teriyaki sauce to the vegetables. "Don't beat yourself up."

"I just feel like an idiot for missing it."

"Hey! Nobody says stuff like that about the mother of my child." Robert didn't need to speak in hypotheticals or theoreticals, he knew she was pregnant. He could just tell.

Melanie smiled and looked over at him. "You're so confident about all of this," she said in wonderment. "I feel terrified."

Robert frowned and turned around. "I'm just ready, you know? I know we'll make great parents. And I hope I'll be able to help alleviate your terror throughout all of this. But I understand, I mean, I won't be the one having to deal with the physical aspect of this. But I have complete confidence that you'll do fine. You were born to be a mother." He walked over to Melanie and gave her a hug.

"I just worry about school and my residency…Is it fair to a child to be working so much? Maybe…maybe I should quit school and just focus on being a mother…"

"Melanie, it's way too early to worry about this yet. We'll figure all this stuff out when the time comes. And besides, if anybody could handle motherhood _and_ a career, it's you."

Melanie buried her head in his arm and sobbed quietly for a couple minutes before calming down. Robert kissed her forehead and returned to making dinner. He felt bad that she was so stressed and frightened during what should be the best moment of their lives. Part of him also wondered how she'd manage to do everything, but he knew they'd work it out. Melanie could continue with school up until her due date if she wanted to, and they'd figure out when she should return, and how to make up for the lost time.

He put their dinner onto plates and carefully brought them over to the table. They ate and talked about Melanie's day of being a diagnosis project and the three appendicitis cases he came across in the ER.

After eating and cleaning the kitchen, Melanie went upstairs to sleep. "I just can't keep my eyes open for one minute longer," she declared. Robert went up with her to help get her into bed without her collapsing. He wished he could make love to her one last time before finding out for sure if their little family was about to expand, but she was too exhausted.

He joined her a couple hours later, and slept as well as he could be expected to under the circumstances.

(SCENE)

Melanie lay across the bed, wringing her hands as Robert paced the floor. There was no sound except for that of Robert's footsteps and the timer ticking away the seconds. "Oh, why isn't it ready yet?" she cried out, sitting up and moving a hand up to bite her nails.

Robert stopped pacing long enough to look at her, but didn't speak. He couldn't open his mouth and didn't know what to say. After another agonizing minute, that felt like an eternity, the timer rang. He turned and walked into the bathroom. Melanie was unable to move.

She watched nervously as he disappeared from view. He was gone for at least two minutes before she couldn't stand it any longer. "Robert, what does it say?" she cried out.

Robert slowly emerged from the bathroom, with the pregnancy test in his hand. He looked dazed. "We have a plus sign," he said, holding the test out to her. "Plus sign equals baby."

Melanie looked at the test and saw the plus sign for herself. It was true. She was pregnant. All the fears that had overwhelmed her only the night before seemed to float away and all she felt was joy. Her eyes filled with tears and she stood up to throw her arms around Robert. Robert kissed her and the next thing she knew they were on the bed. "I'm so happy!" she cried as they began to make love.

When they'd finished, Melanie cried in Robert's arms for a while. "I don't want to go to work today," she wailed. "How can we keep this to ourselves?" They'd already discussed not telling anybody else until she'd gotten through her first trimester. "And I have to figure out about a doctor. Should I go to County? Somebody's bound to find out…"

"We'll just deal with it when it comes up," Robert said. He didn't want to go to work anymore than she did, but he had to. Even though this was the most important day of his life, he had to go on as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

Melanie got up and finished getting ready for the day. As she looked in the mirror, she wondered if she looked any different. Was there a glow that hadn't been there before? Did she look radiant? That's what people always seemed to say about pregnant women. She couldn't see anything new and hoped nobody would be able to tell anything by looking at her yet. It felt strange, having a secret that she wanted to shout from the rooftop, but was unable to yet. At this moment, she and Robert were the only people on the planet who knew this secret. It was a thrilling thought.

It was Dawn's day off at work so Melanie didn't have to deal with questions about whether or not she'd done the test. It was nice to go through the day as normally as possible without being questioned. She was still exhausted, but hoped the iron would help. She spent her lunch break researching the best prenatal vitamins and deciding whether or not to see a nutritionist to help plan her eating habits throughout her pregnancy. She was still unsure of making an appointment to see a doctor at County or not, though she didn't have to reveal the father to anybody. It would still be a chance for somebody to find out that she was pregnant. It was a small chance, though, so in the end, she decided to make an appointment.

The worst part of her day was after work, eating tacos with Robert and watching him enjoy a refreshing, ice-cold beer, and having to drink Sprite instead. "So, did you tell anybody at work today?" she asked casually.

"No, surprisingly enough, I managed to keep my mouth shut," he replied with a smile. "I wanted to though, to everybody I saw, but I didn't."

"I kept it to myself too. But I am going to make an appointment there in the next few weeks to make sure everything's ok."

"I'm sure that'll be fine. We'll try to keep it a secret as long as possible, but sooner or later, work is going to find out."

Within a week, Melanie and Robert were lovingly referring to one another as "Baby Daddy" and "MILF" whenever they were alone. As terrified as Melanie had been at first, she was adjusting very well to the idea of motherhood. Robert had already wanted fatherhood, and was reveling in every moment of the pregnancy, as early as it still was.

He found it highly amusing whenever she cried over the littlest things, though he never said anything. He was the poster-child for supportive mates, helping to soothe her nerves and stopping her tears with his hugs and kisses.

Something about Melanie carrying his child made her even more attractive to her than ever before. He could hardly keep his hands off her when they were at home. And he had to be sure not to be alone with her at work. It was probably all the extra hormones emanating from her, but whatever it was, it was turning him into a sex maniac.

One evening, after Robert and Melanie had made love on the couch, he held her in his arms. Melanie wrapped her fingers through his as he rested his hand on her still-flat belly. "Will you still love me and find me attractive when I'm fat and waddling?" she asked nervously.

Robert looked down at her and smiled. "Absolutely," he replied honestly.

Melanie breathed a sigh of relief and promptly fell asleep in his arms.

(SCENE)

It took a couple weeks longer for Melanie to get her first doctor's appointment. It was longer than she'd wanted to wait, but with her schedule, it was difficult. Robert had wanted to go with her, but couldn't, not without risking the wrong person finding out.

Melanie saw Dr. Sladen, a kind, older woman who made her feel at ease as soon as she stepped into the room. The appointment took quite some time as it required a full physical exam, an ultrasound, and a full history of not only her family, but Robert's as well. He'd given her a list of ailments and conditions that ran in his family for her to tell the doctor.

Dr. Sladen took several vials of blood to do tests on and noted Melanie's anemia in her chart. And Melanie tried not to blush as her suspicions were confirmed about the conception date. "The baby should be due the last part of December," Dr. Sladen said, checking her math and turning off the ultrasound machine. "I'd say December 19th, just in time for Christmas."

She handed Melanie a picture of the screenshot she'd taken of the baby. It looked like a little bean, Melanie thought. She sat back and thought about the date and the reality that by next Christmas, she and Robert would be parents. The little bean in the picture would grow into a full-size baby. It was a very surreal concept.

"So, you're a med student here," Dr. Sladen said when the exam and history were over. "You have a tough road ahead of you, although, fourth year is the better year for it than third year. You've timed it pretty well."

Melanie smiled and shook her head. "I'm still worried about all of it. I will miss some school at least and have to make it up. And then there's when to go back and can I do it and will I want to and all of that," she said, hurriedly.

Dr. Sladen smiled sympathetically. "It's true that most doctors don't have to handle pregnancy during med school, but it isn't entirely unheard of," she replied. "I'm sure you and your partner will make the best decision for both you and your baby. And there's nothing wrong with taking time off and starting up again later. There will always be good jobs out there. Don't stress over it now, just enjoy the pregnancy."

"That makes a lot of sense," Melanie replied. "I'm definitely enjoying it so far, and so is my fiancé. He's being really helpful and supportive so far. He says he's ready to be a dad."

"Well, you _are_ lucky!" Dr. Sladen said.

"Very," Melanie said. She blushed and looked down at her hands, deciding to ask something in spite of it being embarrassing. "Uh…my fiancé can't seem to keep his hands off me now, do you know if that's normal?"

Dr. Sladen smiled slightly. "It's perfectly normal," she assured the younger woman. "You have high hormone levels right now; he's bound to be more attracted to you than ever before. Just enjoy it."

"I don't have to worry about having too much sex?"

"Just make sure it's not too rough and you should be fine."

Melanie blushed crimson to think of having this discussion with her doctor. "So…when should I see you again?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"In about a month," Dr. Sladen replied. "You'll need to come once a month until you're about seven months along and then we'll need to increase it. Of course that can change depending on how you progress, but for now I think once a month will be fine. I want you to continue taking the prenatal vitamins and the iron and I think your idea to see a nutritionist would be a good idea as well. I can give you the names of a couple people here if you'd like."

Melanie left the doctor's office that day with a list of nutritionists as well as a list of instructions for the next month. She felt much more confident, and that night, when Robert tackled her to the kitchen floor when she got home, she didn't worry about it at all and just enjoyed herself instead.

After dinner that night, they snuggled together on the couch and Melanie showed him the first picture of their child. Robert sat in silence for several minutes, staring at the picture and imagining what their baby was going to be like. It was so tiny right now, like a bean, as Melanie had said.

Melanie was quiet as she watched Robert's reaction to the picture. Her heart fluttered to see the awe and joy in his features. She reached out and brushed her fingers against his cheek. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "This is our baby…" he whispered, gazing at the picture again.

From then on, Robert carried that picture in the breast pocket of his lab coat at work. It reminded him of why he did what he did now.

(SCENE)

The pregnancy pushed their thoughts of the wedding aside, but their mothers were still full of advice to share. Melanie got a call at least once a day from her mother about ideas for the wedding. One night, after the daily call, Melanie started to sob. "I feel like I'm lying to her," she wailed as Robert took her hand in his. "I want to tell her!"

"Let's just get through the next month, all right? Then we'll tell both our mothers," Robert replied, leaning over to kiss her. "You know they'll take over our lives completely the moment we do; let's just enjoy this time as just the two of us." He held her tightly, letting her cry until she was too exhausted to anymore.

When Melanie had calmed down and was making dinner, Robert took Gretel outside to play. "Come on, girl, let's go!" he called out to the dog, holding the door open for her. Gretel slowly loped out of the house and followed her master into the yard. He noticed how slow she was moving and how she wouldn't run for the toys he threw for her to catch. "What's the matter?" he asked, kneeling down to take a look at her. He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, just the fact that her limbs were moving more stiffly than usual.

He reached out and scratched behind her ears. "You've had a good run so far, haven't you old girl?" he whispered. "We've had a good life together, haven't we?" He tried his best to keep pushing away the fears and pain of what was going to happen to Gretel eventually. Gretel seemed to sense this and leaned forward to lick Robert's face. She rested her head against Robert's shoulder for a moment before loping off around the corner to do her business in private.

Robert stood in the backyard, looking up at the stars and contemplating the future until Gretel returned to his side. He scratched her ears one last time, and then walked with her back into the house.

The next morning, Melanie went downstairs to start breakfast while Robert slept in. It was a rare occasion that her day off landed on a Saturday and she wanted to make the most of it. She planned on making breakfast and taking it up to Robert to share in bed.

She piled waffles onto two plates, poured glasses of orange juice and placed those and all the other items she needed onto a tray to take upstairs, and carefully carried it up into the bedroom. Robert stirred and opened his eyes to see breakfast waiting for him. "What's this for?" he asked with a yawn as he sat up.

Melanie put a plate on his lap and smiled. "I wasn't exhausted for once," she replied. "I thought it would be a good use of my time to make us breakfast. You've been so helpful lately that I wanted to do something for you."

Robert leaned over and kissed her before taking a bite of the pre-cut waffle Melanie had given him. "I don't deserve you," he said lightly.

Melanie snuggled next to him and started eating her own food. "So, what should we do today?" she asked.

"The weather is improving, maybe we should do something outside," Robert replied. "We could go for a walk if you have the energy."

"A walk sounds nice. It is April after all, we need to see spring arriving!"

They continued to make plans and after a while their conversation came around to their wedding. "I only have one thing I want for sure," Melanie said, "I want to be married _before_ the baby arrives. That's all I really care about." They'd finished the food, so she cleared the plates away and set the tray on the floor next to the bed.

"You want me to make an honest woman of you, is that it?" Robert asked with a grin as she got back onto the bed and moved over to straddle his thighs. "Melanie, what are you doing?" She pressed her lips to his before pressing him down onto the bed. "I'm not that type of boy!" he cried jokingly as she had her way with him.

"It's those darn hormones," she sighed when they were done.

Robert reached out and caressed her hip. "Wonderful hormones," he murmured. "Any time you feel them surging, don't hesitate to act on them. Well, with me, at least. Or by yourself, I suppose…If I'm watching…"

Melanie laughed at that before slipping out of bed to get dressed for their walk. She took the empty tray back down into the kitchen and Robert made sure to put fresh food in Gretel's dish before they left for their long walk.

Robert loved being out in the nice, warm weather, with Melanie on his arm. He knew they made a handsome couple, and being with her even made him feel gracious and polite towards others. He actually nodded to the people he passed on the street.

They walked for nearly an hour before turning around and heading back to the house. "There's so many flowers blooming; I can't believe how beautiful it is!" Melanie cried. "This is the most beautiful day ever, I think."

Robert squeezed her hand. "The view's not bad from my vantage point," he replied. He looked at her, taking in the forest green sundress she was wearing, and imagined what she'd look like when her flat stomach started to protrude. He couldn't wait.

"So, tell me again about your appointment with Dr. Sladen," he requested as they made their way back home.

She managed to talk about the appointment until they returned home. "Oh, I'm thirsty," she declared once back in the kitchen.

Robert looked around and noticed that Gretel's food was still untouched in her dish. "That's odd," he muttered to himself. She was normally such a good eater, though he'd noticed lately she'd been eating less than normal. "I'm going to go check on the dog; I haven't seen her at all today."

Melanie was pouring water into the purifier and nodded to him as he left the room. It took a couple minutes for all the water to filter, and when it was done, she filled two glasses with ice cubes and poured water into them. Robert hadn't returned yet, so she carried the glasses into the living room, where she thought he'd be. "Robert I brought you some—" She cut herself off when she saw him. He was kneeling on the floor, next to Gretel's bed. There was no movement coming from the bed, but she could see his good hand holding one of her paws. She could hear him sniffling, and his shoulders were shaking. "Oh, Robert," she whispered, setting the glasses down on the coffee table and rushing over to him.

Once Melanie was by his side, he looked up at her from where he was kneeling. "I guess she just died in her sleep," he said, forlornly. "I know she was old, I just didn't expect her to die yet…"

Tears filled Melanie's eyes. She felt Robert's pain, and felt sadness of her own for she'd come to love Gretel very much too. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he let go of Gretel's paw to pull Melanie close to him. He buried his face in her stomach, and cried. She had never seen him so upset before, not even when he'd found out the odds of recovering his arm function.

Robert clung to Melanie and let the closeness of her and their unborn child comfort him. It felt strange, he loved Gretel so much, and for so long it had just been the two of them. But now, he had a real, human family that he loved with all his heart and soul. It didn't take away the pain of losing Gretel, but it did make it a little more bearable.

Melanie bent down and kissed the top of his head as he cried. She held him in silence for quite a while until he let go and stood up. She reached out and wiped his tears away with her fingertips.

"I have to take care of her now," he said hoarsely before walking out of the room and into the den, shutting the door behind him. He had decided a long time ago, that when Gretel passed away, he'd have her cremated. He had to call around and see how that worked.

Melanie looked down at Gretel for a minute and let her own tears flow before leaving the room again and returning to the kitchen to make lunch. It didn't exactly seem like the best time for a meal, but she had more than just herself to think about now.

After lunch, Robert and Melanie wrapped Gretel up in her favorite blanket and put her in the backseat of Melanie's car. The drive out was sad, and the drive back home, with the empty backseat, was even sadder.

Robert stood in the foyer, looking at Gretel's leash he'd picked up off the floor. "What am I going to do with all her stuff?" he asked Melanie.

Melanie wrapped her arms around his waist and held onto him for a minute as she thought about it. "The unopened food we can give to a pet food drive," she finally said. "And if you wanted, I could take pictures of all her toys and we could make a scrapbook. We could put pictures of her and you in it, and you can always have it to look at. And you could keep her collar and maybe her favorite toy?"

Robert buried his head in her hair and leaned into her, while she rocked him. He hated how upset he was. Part of him felt it was silly to have so many feelings for a dog, and the other part of him felt that the bond between man and dog was sacred. Who would begrudge him a few tears in honor of his fallen friend? "I think those are all great ideas," he said quietly into Melanie's ear.

They spent the rest of the afternoon gathering all of Gretel's things and bringing them into the living room. Melanie took pictures of everything. "I'll go to the fabric store on my next day off and get all the scrapbook stuff we'll need," she promised as they walked into the kitchen to make dinner.

As they ate, Robert thought with dread that Melanie would go to work the next day and he'd be home alone. He didn't want to be alone. "I'll call you a few times from work tomorrow," Melanie said as though reading his mind.

That night, Robert slept in Melanie's arms.

(SCENE)

Melanie hated to leave Robert alone the next morning, but had no choice. She kissed his cheek and left him, still sleeping, to go to work. Luckily for her, it was a busy day and it went quickly.

She stopped by Elizabeth's office on her lunch break to inform her of Gretel's passing. "Oh, that's so sad," Elizabeth said with a frown. "Robert really loves that dog."

"He's taking it pretty hard," Melanie confirmed.

"I'll try to find a card after my shift. They make condolence cards for pets."

"I think he'd really like that."

"Maybe Ella and I will stop by after my shift to give it to him in person."

"That would be lovely."

That evening, when Melanie and Robert had finished dinner and were sitting in the living room, the doorbell rang. Robert felt a pang of sadness when he didn't hear Gretel bark and run to the door. "I'll get it," Melanie said, setting down the textbook she'd been reading and walking to the door. He could hear voices and suddenly Melanie reappeared. "You have guests, Robert," she said as Elizabeth and Ella walked into the foyer.

Elizabeth bent down and took Ella's jacket off. Ella was holding onto a lumpy gift-wrapped package and Elizabeth had a card in her hand. She gave the card to Ella and helped the young girl walk into the living room to where Robert was seated. Melanie followed behind them, smiling at Robert.

"Robert, Melanie told me about Gretel," Elizabeth explained as she helped Ella up onto the couch next to him. "I'm so sorry. I truly know how much she meant to you."

"Thanks," Robert said, nodding his head.

"When Ella heard, she said she wanted to give you something to make you feel better." She nudged Ella, who held out the lumpy package and the card.

Robert was touched at the thought that Ella wanted to make him feel better. And Elizabeth too. "Wow, Ella, that was really nice of you," he said, looking at the child who glanced up at him with a very serious expression on her face. "Would you like to help me open these?"

Ella reached out and together they managed to open the card. He read it out loud to her and when he was finished, he looked up at Elizabeth and smiled sadly. Ella prodded him to open the present, and together they ripped all the paper off of it. Inside was a stuffed puppy doll that had obviously been well-loved to look at it. One ear was slightly torn and there were a couple patches of worn-off fuzz. "No more sad," Ella said in explanation.

Robert's breath caught in his throat as he realized what a big sacrifice this was for somebody so young. This was a true and pure act of kindness and it warmed his heart. He could hear Melanie crying next to him, but instead of reaching out for her, he wrapped his arm around Ella's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you very much, Ella," he said, his voice hoarse from emotion. "That was a very kind thing you did."

Ella beamed at him and nodded her head. "I know," she replied.

Robert chuckled and wondered if his child would have as kind a heart as Ella had. Melanie walked over to him and put her arm around his shoulders. He knew she was thinking the exact same thing. "Ella, this was so sweet of you to do that for Robert," she said, reaching down to run her fingers through the child's hair. "What is the puppy's name?"

"Wobee," Ella replied promptly.

"Oh, that's a good name for a puppy!" Robert declared, smiling and tousling Ella's hair. "I'll make sure to give Robby a good home."

Ella stood up on the couch and kissed Robert on the cheek. "I love you, Wobee."

"I love you too, Ella," he replied as Elizabeth walked over to them.

"I wish we could stay longer, but I have to get Little Miss to bed," she said, taking Ella's hand and helping her off the couch. "I'll see you two at work tomorrow."

Robert got up from the couch and walked them to the door. "Thank you, this helps so much," he said earnestly. Elizabeth gave him a hug before leaving.

When Robert returned to the living room, Melanie was sobbing. "That was just the most precious thing ever!" she wailed.

Robert held her and patted her hair. "It was," he said quietly. He looked down at "Wobee" on the couch. "I think we should keep the toy for our baby. It can be his first stuffed animal."

Melanie grinned and picked up the toy. "Are you certain it's a boy?" she asked casually.

Robert reached out and placed his hand on her abdomen. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and nodding his head. "Yes, I'm pretty sure. He and I already have a connection," he declared. "He just told me we're going to be best buddies."

"Best buddies, huh? I love the sound of that," Melanie said, reaching down and touching her stomach. It was still flat. "It's funny, sometimes I forget I'm pregnant."

"It has moments of feeling more real than other moments," Robert said, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "Would you like to go upstairs and forget we're already pregnant, and try for a baby?" he asked, grinning. He knew it was strange to act like this when he was so sad, but it helped keep his mind off the pain.

In response, Melanie turned and ran out of the room, over to the stairs in the foyer. She was halfway down the hall to the bedroom before Robert caught up with her. He pressed her against the wall and tried to lift her up while she tried to wrap her legs around his thighs. After a couple of frustratingly unsuccessful minutes, they gave up and walked into the bedroom. "It always looks so easy in movies to do it that way," Melanie commented as they took their clothes off and slipped into bed.

"We can take our time this way," Robert replied, grinning as he pounced on her.

Much later that night, Robert lay next to Melanie, his good hand resting on her stomach. He listened to the sounds of her soft snores and thought about the future. He missed Gretel fiercely still, though the sharp pain had begun to ebb. He had a fiancé and a baby on the way to think about now. And he had a good job that he was enjoying so far to help keep him occupied. All in all, not a bad life, really.


	25. Everything Changes

"I'm so nervous about starting my psych rotation today," Melanie said one early May morning as she and Robert got ready for work. "I suppose I should tell my resident that I'm pregnant…You never know what could happen with mentally unstable patients after all…"

Robert was brushing his teeth when she said this and couldn't respond, but he thought about that statement. Anything really _could_ happen around mentally unstable patients…If somebody hurt Melanie or the baby he didn't know what he'd do. Maybe it was a bad idea for her to take this rotation now; maybe she should wait until after the baby was born. It was too late now, though, but he wished he'd thought about that sooner. He would have insisted she take the rotation after the baby was born.

He felt his stomach clench as he worried about this. Was this what the pregnancy and parenthood was going to be like? Worrying about everything that could possibly happen? He just wanted to make sure his family was safe, why did it have to be so stressful? She was nearly three months along now, almost time to let their friends and family in on the secret. It was going to be a long six months if he was going to be this worried all the time.

Melanie stepped out of the shower a minute later, and he looked at her reflection in the mirror. His worries vanished temporarily as a smile erupted on his face. He called out to Melanie to join him by the sink. "Look," he said, pointing to her stomach.

Melanie looked down and gasped. "My baby bump!" she cried, turning to the side and glancing into the mirror. "It wasn't there last night!"

Robert placed his hand on her now-slightly protruding belly. "I think our son must have a hearty appetite," he said, jokingly. "You did eat _five_ tacos for dinner last night."

Melanie hit him playfully. "Hey! I'm eating for two now, you know."

Robert walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He looked more carefully at her body in the mirror. He couldn't be too sure, but he thought her breasts were a little fuller. To confirm this, he moved his hand up and cupped one of them firmly, seeing if it felt the same as before. They did feel a little bigger. Not much, but a little bit bigger. He smiled and kissed her shoulder.

"Robert, I have to finish getting ready for work now," she said as he moved his hand lower and lower, causing her to gasp. "I can't…I really…Well, maybe…this once…"

Several minutes later, they emerged from the bathroom and finished getting ready for work. Melanie was quite grateful to have escaped morning sickness thus far, and hoped it would stay that way. She'd been spared of the worst parts of early pregnancy and was starting to wonder what the big deal about it was. But things were about to get more intense as she entered her second trimester. Starting a new rotation on top of that added more pressure, so not throwing up each morning would be good.

"You know, we really should start making a list of all the baby stuff we need and think about what to do for a room. Maybe we should turn the guest room into a nursery," Melanie talked a lot about the baby each morning during breakfast. Robert could tell it was beginning to take over more and more of her mind and life. He hoped she would be able to find that balance of career and motherhood so she could realize all her goals.

"Start the lists and we'll go shopping on our days off," Robert replied with a smile. "It'll be fun to buy things for the baby."

Melanie ended up talking about baby plans for the rest of breakfast and the entire trip to work. Robert didn't want to let her go up to the Psych department, but he had to. "Have a good day," he said, giving her a peck on the cheek and brushing his hand against her stomach lightly. Melanie took a deep breath, walked to the elevator, and proceeded to get on. The next stop was the Psych department.

The rotation was much like all her others: she was assigned to a resident and there were rounds and note-taking. The only real difference was that the symptoms were those of a psychological nature rather than a physical nature. Her resident was Dr. Jill Hanson, an older woman who seemed to be a tough-as-nails type. Melanie found her to be quite intimidating and was too nervous to tell her about the pregnancy.

On her first day, she observed a group therapy session, and took notes, paying close attention to the way Dr. Hanson handled the patients. She was firm, much more aggressive than Melanie could ever be. By the end of the first day, she was certain she'd never have a successful career in Psychiatry.

"Everybody is scared on their first day," Dr. Hanson reassured her with a light slap on the shoulder. "You'll be better tomorrow, I'm sure."

Unfortunately for Melanie, the next morning, she had her first bout of morning sickness. In the middle of rounds, while presenting a patient to her team, she clapped a hand to her mouth and ran for the nearest restroom, abandoning her teammates.

After about five minutes, Dr. Hanson came into the restroom. "Ms. Hahn, is everything all right?" she asked, standing outside Melanie's stall.

In response, Melanie leaned her head over the toilet and threw up again. She felt too weak to speak or move and couldn't get control of her body in spite of her best efforts to. "I'm sorry," she finally managed to utter. She sat down on the stall floor, her feet sticking out under the door, and tried to get her breathing under control. She reached out and unlocked the door, allowing it to swing forward to reveal Dr. Hanson, looking concerned. "I should probably go ahead and tell you that I'm pregnant," she said weakly.

Dr. Hanson frowned and furrowed her brow. "How far along are you?"

"I'm just entering my third month. This is my first morning sickness experience. I didn't realize it would be this bad."

"You should take your OB rotation next…" Dr. Hanson commented. "Well, just do what you can, but you aren't big enough yet for that to be a factor. Make sure to take extra precautions around the more violent patients and you should do fine."

Melanie felt the nausea begin to wane, and slowly stood up. "Thanks," she said quietly before rinsing her mouth out. "I'll try to carry soda crackers and ginger ale with me from now on…" They walked back to the team, and she finished her presentation with no more problems or interruptions.

(SCENE)

Robert chuckled as they walked to a booth at Doc Magoo's that day for lunch. "I wish I'd been there," he said lightly. "I had been hoping you'd be sick at home and I could catch the momentous occasion on film…"

"Thank you Robert, that is so sensitive of you," Melanie said sarcastically. "I'm just glad that it won't be an issue up there. Dr. Hanson didn't try to discourage me from continuing."

Robert felt a little disappointed knowing that Melanie was truly going to continue the rotation, but didn't say anything. Instead, he placed his order for a cheeseburger when the server came to their table.

"I just hope this isn't something that'll happen too often," Melanie said after ordering the vegetable soup. "It was really awful."

"What was really awful? Hope you're not talking about me."

Melanie and Robert looked up to see who had just spoken and were startled to see Dr. Eddie Dorset standing next to their booth.

Robert was horrified to see that man here, but tried to stay calm. "Dr. Dorset, what brings you to County today?" he asked with a disingenuous smile.

Dorset flashed them a brilliant smile and boldly sat down next to Melanie in their booth. He was so close to her that their legs were touching. She was already next to the wall, so she couldn't move any further away from him. "Funny you should be the one to ask, Rocket," he said with another smile, "I actually took a job here."

Robert, who had just taken a bite of his burger, tried not to spit it out. Melanie could see he was furious, and tried to give him time to calm down again. "Oh? Dr. Corday hired you?"

Dorset nodded his head. "Yes, she did," he replied. "Since you left, Rocket, that left a huge hole to fill, and hopefully I'll be able to help fill it." He looked at Melanie and she noticed him pause when his eyes reached her chest. "You know, it's funny, at the Christmas party you and Rocket seemed joined at the hip, and here it is, what, five months later, and you're still hanging out together…Isn't that interesting?"

"Dr. Romano and I enjoy one another's company, and he has a lot to teach me," Melanie said before taking a bite of her crackers. "He might not be my advisor anymore, but there's no reason for me not to spend time with him."

Dorset pointed to Melanie's engagement ring. "Are you sure your fiancé would approve of you spending so much time with another man?" he chuckled and took a large bite of his turkey sandwich.

Melanie took a delicate sip of broth and glanced at Robert. "My fiancé doesn't mind one bit if I spend time with Dr. Romano," she replied with a slight smile. "He trusts me."

Dorset reached over and traced her ring with his finger. Melanie flinched and moved her hand away from him. She felt violated and looking at Robert, he clearly felt the same. She didn't want another man to touch Robert's ring.

Robert took a deep breath and tried to control himself. "Hey, Dorset," he growled at the man, "Keep your hands off my fiancé!"

Melanie smiled at Robert and took another spoonful of soup. Dorset looked at her like she was insane. "Are you actually engaged to this guy?"

"Yes I am," she replied, glancing at Robert who nodded his head once. "And I'm having his baby too," she added with a grin.

Dorset grimaced and slid away from her. "Well," he said, standing up and grabbing his plate, "I'm very happy for you two. If you will excuse me, I need to get back to the hospital." He turned and walked away quickly, leaving Robert and Melanie blissfully alone again.

"You're my hero," Melanie sighed, gazing at Robert. She reached out and placed her hand on his. "That was super awkward."

Robert traced his fingertip over her ring. "I had to stand up for my girl," he replied, feeling confident and proud of himself in spite of his anger over being replaced in the OR.

When lunch was over, he went up to speak with Elizabeth. "How could you hire him without consulting me first?" he shouted angrily.

Elizabeth sighed and set her pen down to look at him. "I had to hire somebody, Robert," she said quietly. "We were down a surgeon, I filled the position. It's nothing against you."

"You should have consulted me; it is _my_ position you had to fill."

Elizabeth pursed her lips and looked into his eyes. "It was _my_ decision to make. You appointed me Chief; I was doing my job."

Robert felt the sting of that remark, but tried his best not to show it. He shrugged his shoulders. "You're the one who's going to have to deal with 'Fast Eddie'," he said in conclusion. "Have fun with that. But if he puts his hands on Melanie again, I won't be responsible for what I do!"

Elizabeth sighed again as he left the room. He'd actually taken that much better than she'd anticipated.

(SCENE)

As promised, Robert went shopping with Melanie on their next shared day off. "I don't think there's anything wrong with the color of the walls in the guest room. That shade of blue works for boys and girls," Melanie declared as they perused the aisles of Babies 'R' Us. "The baby needs a bassinette and a changing table and I've been researching all sorts of things. We can get a lot of things before we find out the gender."

"Are we going to find out the gender? I already know it's a boy…"

"Well, we should probably confirm it, just to be certain, don't you think? Besides, it'll help us narrow down the choices for names."

Robert hadn't thought about naming the baby yet. Just the idea made it all seem so final, so real. "Have you been thinking about names?"

"Not really, it still seems too early," Melanie replied, stopping to pick out several packages of plain white onesies. She also grabbed a package of yellow and green onesies too. She set them all in their cart and started wheeling it again. "I think once I really start showing and have to buy maternity clothes, it'll feel really real. Then we can think about names."

Robert picked out two pairs of infant-sized blue jeans and slipped them into the cart. When they reached the toy aisle, he also picked out a plastic doctor's bag with instruments in it for a young child to play with. It even had a miniature stethoscope. Not gold, but there was time for that later on when the baby was older.

By the time they were finished, they had ten bags to take to the car and were several thousand dollars poorer than when they'd entered the store. "I had no idea babies cost so much," Robert commented as he helped Melanie put the bags into the car. With his pay cut and all he'd spent on Melanie since meeting her, his bank account was finally beginning to feel the crunch. They were nowhere near dire straits, but there were definitely a few less zeroes on the end of his balance than he was used to seeing.

"I can look into sales and second-hand stores if you want. We could find some great deals if we research it properly."

Robert wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "I don't want my son wearing second-hand clothes. We'll be fine, don't worry."

They spent the rest of the day in the guest room, rearranging and setting up what they'd bought. The first step was to take the bed apart and drag the mattress into the hallway. Next, they took out the desk and put up a wooden dresser and matching changing table. Melanie washed all the baby clothes while they set up the furniture.

Both Melanie and Robert were inclined to make the majority of the baby purchases themselves rather than relying on others to buy stuff for them for a baby shower. "I don't have too many friends out here, and everybody else I know is poor because they work at the hospital. I don't want them to feel obligated to get us anything," Melanie said as she folded laundry and placed it in the drawers.

"I'm sure once we tell our families our mothers will start buying stuff," Robert added as he put together the crib. It turned out he was pretty talented with a screwdriver, even if he could only do it one-handed.

Melanie looked at the onesies and jeans and smiled. "I think we're going to have to find out the gender for sure," she said, "it'll make the clothes shopping so much easier."

"Well we can buy unisex stuff until then, and when we find out for sure, we can go on a shopping spree."

"You really want to be a part of all the shopping?"

"Of course I do. This is my child too. Most likely our only one. I don't want to miss out on any of it. Besides, I want to make sure my son is the best-dressed baby anybody's ever seen."

"And I suppose you'll want to supervise the toy shopping as well?"

"Definitely, that's the really fun part. I want to get him all that stuff that little kids play with. Blocks and a Jack-in-the-Box and all the educational stuff. And a tree house. He'll definitely need a tree house. And a Big Wheels." Melanie joined him with the crib production, helping hold up pieces while he screwed them together. "Our child is bound to be a genius if you and I are any indication. I want to make sure he gets a good start."

Melanie looked carefully at him before smiling gently. "Maybe our child will be a genius, but we'll still love him no matter how intelligent he ends up being or how much he applies himself," she said firmly.

"Of course, but let's hope he does apply himself."

Melanie set the mattress pad inside the crib once it was set up. "Oh, I'm so tired," she commented, reaching around and placing her hands on her back to stretch out. "I think I need to be done for the day."

Robert helped her get settled on the couch and brought her a glass of water before going to the kitchen to find menus. "Let's order in," he said, returning to hand her the menus.

They settled on Chinese and Melanie was glad that it didn't take too long to arrive, because she was starving. "I feel like I've never eaten before in my life," she claimed, pouring a third helping of Kung Pao tofu and vegetable chow mein onto her plate.

"Well, we were really busy all day long; the baby's had quite a work-out," Robert said, watching in awe as his fiancé gorged herself on dinner. "I'll put a movie on when we're done eating and we can just relax for the rest of the evening. And of course we can have a co-ed shower before bed if you like."

"I do like," Melanie said with a grin. She ate one more plate of food before declaring herself full. "Maybe the baby is having a growth spurt."

Robert settled on the couch and rested his hand on her baby bump. Melanie reached down and twined her fingers through his. Neither of them could wait to feel the first kick, though it was still a long way off.

(SCENE)

The first few weeks of Melanie's Psych rotation passed rather uneventfully. The morning sickness was inconsistent, so it didn't make too much of an impact on her life. What had changed, however, was her appetite. She couldn't stay full for very long and had begun to graze all day long, which led to her decision to meet with a nutritionist to work on a food plan. She started preparing healthier snacks at home to take to work with her rather than relying on the vending machines, and noticed the weight gain slowed down again.

Luckily she still wasn't big enough for anybody to notice anything yet, so her secret was still safe for a while longer. She and Robert had discussed the best time to tell their mothers, and had decided to wait until their next shared day off. "We can call your mom on the phone, and have my mother come over and tell her in person," Robert had said.

Robert found that as time passed, he grew a little less terrified about Melanie's Psych rotation, though his fears never disappeared completely. It was always there, just below the surface, ready to flare up at any time. He always had the image of Lucy Knight's lifeless body in his mind, making it difficult to truly relax. Until Melanie's rotation was over, he was always going to be on-guard.

Melanie was on-call for the ER one mid-May day, and had just finished a bowl of hummus with carrot sticks when she got a page and headed downstairs. She had learned a lot about dealing with mentally unstable patients during the course of her rotation, and she was less scared than she used to be, though she was always very cautious around anybody who appeared to be agitated. So, when she arrived for the Psych consult and Dr. Carter filled her in on the young man who appeared very calm, she felt more confident in her ability to handle the situation.

"Mr. Handel, my name is Melanie Hahn and I'm a med student here. I was hoping we could talk today," she said in greeting. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

The man hadn't taken any notice of her. He was busy having a conversation with his hands. She tried to get his attention, with no luck. It was always so tragic seeing somebody with this sort of ailment, something you could clearly see, but not clearly treat. There were a lot of advances in the world of mental health treatment, but in many ways it was still in its infancy compared to other areas of medicine.

Mr. Handel finally looked up from his hands and made eye contact with Melanie. "I have to get to Frankfurt by tonight," he informed her calmly.

"How do you plan on getting there?"

Mr. Handel looked back at his hands and seemed to consult with them for a while. "The path," he finally answered her.

"Would you like to come upstairs with me? There are some nice people who would like to talk with you."

Mr. Handel grew slightly agitated at that. He flailed his arms and shook his head violently. "No no no no no!" he screamed. "I have to go to Frankfurt!"

"But sir…"

The man became erratic in his movements. He stood up and began pacing the floor by his bed. "_You_ killed the innocent woman! _You_ killed the innocent woman!" he screamed, pointing his finger at her accusingly.

Melanie stood up and stepped back from Mr. Handel. "Could you please get some people in here to help?" she quietly asked Haleh, who was still in the room with her. Haleh nodded her head and hurried out of the room to summon all the male doctors and nurses she could find.

Melanie stood back as people started pouring into the room to help restrain Mr. Handel. She prepared a haldol injection to administer when he was held down. As soon as the nurses and doctors starting in on him, he began to scream and lash out.

"Melanie, what are you doing?" Robert shouted as he ran into the room. "Get out of here!" She had moved forward again and was about to do the injection when Robert came over to her. Mr. Handel was kicking and flailing his arms and still screaming. She felt horrible for him, knowing that he couldn't understand what was going on. In his mind, he was being attacked.

Robert saw his biggest fear playing out before his very eyes. Melanie and the baby were in imminent danger and he had to protect them. He could see the patient aiming a kick at Melanie from the exam bed he'd been tackled onto. It would hit her right in the abdomen and Robert could tell she didn't notice as she was busy trying to inject him.

"Melanie, I said get out of here! Remember what I said about doing exactly as I say!" He rushed over and placed himself in between Melanie and Mr. Handel. He pushed Melanie out of the way just as the patient's foot made contact with his bad arm. He heard a sickening crack and looked down to see his arm hanging down at an odd angle. There was no pain, but something was very wrong with his arm.

Melanie twisted around and looked at Robert, her eyes wide with fear. She could see that his arm was badly injured, but he wasn't reacting in pain. She reached out and grabbed his good arm. "Are you all right?" she asked, pulling him towards the door. She saw Dr. Carter approaching the room. "You have to help them out, I need to look at Robert's arm," she said, continuing to pull Robert after her into an empty curtain area.

Robert was trying not to think about his arm, but he knew it was bad. Very bad. He sat down on the exam table when Melanie led him to it. She began to take off his lab coat and stopped when she got to his bad arm. "I think I'll have to cut it off the arm…it's pretty mangled…" she murmured. He watched as she grabbed a pair of scissors from a drawer and cut off the sleeve of the white coat that was now stained with his blood. "Shirt next," she said, reaching out to undo his buttons and slip off the shirt. She cut the left sleeve off as well. When he was bare from the waist up, he looked away, not able to face the inevitable.

Melanie stared at Robert's arm and felt her heart break for him. "Oh, Robert…" she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. Part of the bone in his arm had torn through the muscle and skin and was exposed to the air. In normal circumstances, he'd have been in excruciating pain, and it was even more disturbing that he felt nothing at all. He wasn't bleeding too badly, but she didn't want to press too hard around the break site, and risk further damage to him.

Robert took a deep breath. "Can you please take the picture out of my lab coat pocket? I'd like to hold onto it if you don't mind," he requested quietly. Melanie picked up the coat and took the sonogram photo out, gazed at it lovingly for a few seconds before handing it to him. He clutched it tightly and looked at it intensely. "Just say it," he ordered calmly, not looking away from the photo. "Tell me the diagnosis."

Melanie began to cry and threw her arms around him. She sobbed into his shoulder for a minute while he wrapped his good arm around her waist. She sniffled for a few seconds before wiping her eyes and pulling back from him. She wiped away her tears and looked into Robert's eyes, trying not to notice the pain in them. "You have a severe compound fracture of the left humerus," she said, giving him the diagnosis. "It will require surgery to fix. And you have no nerve function at all. I think you need to consider the logic of surgery to fix the arm versus…"

Robert looked into her eyes, his head held high. "Versus what?" he asked calmly.

Melanie was silent for a minute as tears filled her eyes again. "You know what," she whispered.

Robert's resolve failed him and he looked down at the ground. He'd fought against this moment for nearly an entire year, but it had finally caught up with him. He looked up at Melanie and tried to say something, but his voice failed him. He cleared his throat and tried again; his voice as husky as he spoke. "Will you still love me?"

Melanie began to sob again and threw herself against him. "Nothing will make me love you less," she wailed. "But you don't have much time, your arm could get infected really soon…"

Robert held onto her tightly for a minute, not speaking, just letting the reality of his situation sink in. "You should probably call Elizabeth," he finally said quietly. Melanie sighed and nodded her head. She kissed his cheek as he let go of her before she walked to the phone on the wall and made the call. He looked down at the photo and tried to keep his mind on what was most important to him now.

(SCENE)

"I don't think you should wait too long, Robert," Elizabeth said after finishing her examination of his left arm. "The chance of infection is too great. I think you should have the operation done tonight, or tomorrow at the very latest and then start on antibiotics immediately."

Melanie stood next to Robert, her arm linked through his. She was silent, allowing him to make all the decisions. Her philosophy was that it was his body; it had to be his choice. Besides, he knew more than she did about the options and risks involved. She would support anything he decided.

"See if you can find somebody to do it tonight," Robert replied. He had made his decision and now he just wanted it over with as soon as possible. He felt comforted to see that Melanie hadn't abandoned him yet and hoped that after she saw him, minus one arm for the first time, that she wouldn't run screaming for the hills.

Elizabeth left the curtain area to try and make the arrangements. Melanie embraced Robert and kissed his cheek. "You should go back to work," he said. "I don't want you to get into trouble and there's nothing you can do here."

"I can't leave you! I have to be with you." She grabbed at his good arm and clung to it desperately.

"Melanie, if you don't return to work, then you'll have to explain to your resident why…" He leaned over and kissed her. "Might as well go to Weaver and ask for her blessing if that happens."

"But what about the surgery, I don't want you to be alone!"

Robert took a deep breath before replying. "I…would rather you not be there, if you don't mind…" When Melanie looked very hurt, he clarified himself. "It's not that I don't want you to be there, really, it's just that I don't want you to see it. You're in a delicate condition right now and I don't want you to be more upset than you already are, it's too much stress for you and the baby."

Melanie cried on his shoulder for a couple minutes before leaving to return to the Psych ward. "I will come to the OR as soon as my shift is over, I promise," she said. The rest of her shift passed slowly. It was absolute torture.

(SCENE)

Susan rushed into the curtain area when Melanie went back up stairs. "Oh my God, Robert, I just heard what happened! Are you all right?" She looked at his arm and her face fell. "Oh, Robert…I'm so sorry…"

Robert smiled sadly at her. "Is it giving you flashbacks?" he asked quietly.

"I try not to think about that night too much. It's not one of my favorite memories."

"Mine either." Robert looked over at her as though seeing her for the first time. "You know, I never thanked you for your help that night."

"Don't worry about it."

"No, it was very good of you. You helped save my life and bought me a year's time with my arm…"

Susan reached out and squeezed his good hand. "It looks like it's been a good year for you, in spite of everything," she commented.

"I never would have thought so after the accident, but I suppose you're right. It hasn't been as horrible as it could have been."

Susan squeezed his hand again. "Let me know if you need anything, all right? I'm here for you, and Melanie too. This can't be easy for you or her, what with her schooling and the two of you trying to find time for a wedding…"

Robert let her chatter on, finding it helpful to pass the time and keep the silence from driving him mad. He even allowed her to wheel his gurney up to the OR when it came time to meet the surgeon. At least Dorset doesn't do this kind of surgery, he thought to himself as he was left alone in the room to wait for the surgeon.

The surgeon finally arrived and discussed the best course of action with him. Robert tried not to flinch or show emotion whenever the word "amputation" was used. Now that Melanie was gone, he wished she was there to hold his hand. As silly as it sounded, he found comfort in her. He hoped she'd be around when he woke up after the surgery.

The worst part was the waiting. He knew what was going to happen, he'd amputated several arms himself in his day. He had a very good mental image of what would be done to his body in a very short amount of time. He'd signed the paperwork, and now all he had to do was wait. Elizabeth stayed with him for a while, which helped. "Will you be there?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Would you like me to be there? I can scrub in if you want," she replied with a sad smile.

"I mean, you don't have to if you're busy or don't want to or something…"  
"No, I don't mind at all. I'll make sure nothing goes wrong." Robert reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. He didn't speak and Elizabeth knew that he was more distraught than she'd ever known him to be. It was heartbreaking to watch him go through this. She hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Robert, you will be all right. I'll be there during the procedure and I'll be there when you wake up. I'd better go get ready."

Robert tried not to panic as he sat alone in the pre-op room. He'd been wheeled up a short time ago and now had nothing to keep his mind occupied. He tried not to look at his bad arm, but he felt like he needed to see it once, if only to prove to himself that amputation was necessary. When he finally mustered the bravery needed, he looked down at his arm and was sickened at the sight. His bone was fractured and sticking out of the skin, though the blood around it had been cleaned off. The break was right at the first amputation site, which made sense. It had never gotten completely strong again after the accident. It had been a miracle he'd lasted as long as he had, really. There was nothing else to be done about it. It had to go, and perhaps he'd be successful with the use of a prosthetic arm in its place.

Melanie came to the pre-op room on her break to check in with Robert. She tried to remain strong, but the tears were stronger than she was. "Oh Robert, this is all my fault," she said in a chocked voice. "I should have let somebody else try to give him the injection. This would never have happened…"

Robert reached out and placed his finger on her lips to quiet her. "It's over and done with now, there's no use trying to place blame on anybody. It happened, that's all," he said philosophically. Melanie leaned into him and he wrapped his good arm around her shoulder. "Listen, I need you to do a few things for me before I go into the OR."

"What?" Melanie sniffled and blew her nose before composing herself. "Anything you need, just let me know."

"First off, I want you to call my mother to let her know what's going on. She needs to know," Robert said stiffly.

"All right, I'll wait till you're done and in post-op to call."

"And second, this is going to sound strange, but it's really important to me…I want my arm to be cremated. I don't want it just thrown out with all the other medical waste."

"I don't know who to ask about that…I can ask Elizabeth, maybe she can help…"

"Yes, ask her to help. And third, and most important, I need you to get a pen and help me write on my arm so the surgeon doesn't cut off the wrong one."

"But Robert, I'm sure they'll know which one is the injured arm…I mean, there's a bone sticking out of it…"

"You wouldn't believe the stupid mistakes surgeons make," Robert insisted, reaching out for a pen on a nearby table. "Well, not me of course, _I_ never did anything like that, but other surgeons. How they made it out of medical school at all is beyond me let alone making it as a surgeon." He handed her the pen and frowned. "Put, 'Not this one, idiot!' on my good arm, will you?"

Melanie took the pen and frowned. "I can't write that, it's rude," she said firmly while taking the lid off the pen. She bent down over his arm and began to write on it.

Robert looked down, trying to read what she was saying, but it was the wrong angle. "Not this one, idiot," he repeated.

"There, all finished," she replied with a smile.

"What did you write?"

"Other arm, thank you," she said.

Robert frowned again. "That's not what I told you to write," he growled as she took his hand and opened it, palm up. She drew a small heart on the inside of his palm before closing his hand and wrapping her fingers around it. "What's that for?"

Melanie leaned forward and kissed him gently. "It's my heart," she whispered. "It'll be with you the whole time since I can't be there."

Robert drew her into a tight embrace and his resolve finally broke. He cried into her shoulder for several minutes before pulling himself together. "This is for the best," he told her before she left, more to reassure himself than for her.

His resolve had returned by the time they wheeled him into the OR and prepared him for the surgery. He was determined to stay awake for the full countdown from one hundred when they placed the mask over his face, but the last word he recalled himself saying was ninety two.

(SCENE)

Elizabeth sat on a chair next to the bed Robert slept in. She looked at the stump that had been his arm, and dabbed at it with swabs, keeping it clean from oozing. She stopped and watched for a moment as he began to wake up from the anesthesia. He moaned wordlessly, moving around slightly. "Robert? You came through the surgery just fine," she said firmly, trying to get his attention. "Robert?"

Robert continued to moan and thrash around the bed. Kerry Weaver was standing at the foot of the bed. "Is he all right?" she asked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked at Kerry and nodded. "He's just coming out of the anesthesia, it's pretty normal," she assured the other woman. She wished Kerry would leave, to allow Robert some privacy at his most vulnerable time, but Kerry had told her it was her duty as Chief of Staff to be there for him. His accident had taken place at work, both times, and it would appear uncaring of her if she wasn't there for him.

Elizabeth placed her hand on Robert's forehead, checking for a fever. "Robert? Robert, can you wake up?" she asked.

"Mmmm," he moaned, his eyes still closed. "Melly…where's Melly?" His voice was slurred but she could make out his words.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, knowing there was no way to keep Kerry from hearing it. "She's calling your mother," she replied quietly, not looking at Kerry.

"Baby…" Robert mumbled. "Baby safe?"

"What? What baby?"

"Melly…baby…"

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak and immediately closed it again, unable to find words to say. She did her best to avoid looking at Kerry, who had heard everything. "Robert, what are you talking about?" He was still too out of it to answer properly, but continued muttering about Melanie and a baby.

Melanie was in the waiting room, talking to her mother. She'd finished speaking to Peggy who was planning on coming in the next day to visit Robert. "Mom, I don't know what to do," she cried into the phone. "Robert's had an accident and had to have his arm amputated. And I was going to call you in just a few days and tell you that I was pregnant, but I'm telling you now instead. I don't know how I'll be able to help him and deal with school…" She sobbed for a couple minutes while her mother spoke on the other end.

"I'm flying out there," her mother said as Melanie stopped crying. "We'll sort it all out then. I'll be there tomorrow."

Melanie closed her phone and blew her nose. Her mother would make everything better again. She stood up to go to Robert's room and nearly ran into Kerry Weaver, who looked stern and harsh. "I've just finished seeing Robert," she informed the younger woman. "We need to have a little talk. Won't you come to my office?"

Melanie didn't know how Kerry had found out, but she could tell by the way she acted, that she had. "Yes ma'am," she replied, following obediently as they made their way to Kerry's office.

Kerry sat down at her desk and looked coolly at Melanie for a minute before speaking. "It has come to my attention that you and Robert have been involved in a romantic affair for some time and that you are pregnant with his child," she said quickly, looking directly into Melanie's eyes.

Melanie gasped and looked at Kerry with wide eyes. "Uh…" she had lost the ability to speak and looked down at her hands. "What are you going to do to us?" she asked in a whisper after a minute.

"You do realize you could be thrown out of school for this, and Robert could lose his job?"

"Yes, ma'am." Melanie felt her eyes fill with tears.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

Melanie cried for a minute, trying to think of what to say. "I love Robert," she said, folding her arms and trying to keep her emotions under control. "And he loves me. We're planning on getting married and yes, I'm pregnant. I don't see what good it would do to throw me out of school or fire him. Hasn't he been through enough already? He has nothing else to hold onto anymore. His career is over, he was miserable, and now he's finally found something that makes him happy and you would take that away from him? We didn't intend to fall in love, it just happened."

Kerry folded her arms and took a deep breath. "The rules are put in place for a reason," she said. "They are there for your protection. If Robert coerced you into dating him in return for a good grade, that isn't fair to you. As your mentor, he crossed a line. He knew better and yet he did it anyway. And the fact that he got you pregnant just makes it that much worse. You'll be forced to drop out of school to take care of a child. I don't even know _what_ he was thinking…"

Melanie's lip quivered and she tried to control herself. "But he never forced me into anything! Our feelings are mutual," she declared.

Kerry frowned and shook her head. "But the fact that he was in a position of power over you means that you weren't truly fully consenting. Even if you thought you were, you weren't. He held your grade in his hands, there's no way to prove that it didn't affect how you acted around him. You might not even realize it yourself. This is why there are rules in place, to avoid situations like these."

Melanie took a deep breath and slowly stood up from her chair. "I don't know why you have such animosity towards Robert; I don't know your history with him. But I know that I love him and he loves me. A true and pure love. And we are going to have a baby and going to be married. What will happen after the baby arrives, I don't know yet. I probably will miss some school and will have to make it up later. But if I'm not thrown out, I _will_ finish. Sooner or later, I will do it. And as for Robert, you can fire him, but what's the point? He's already lost it all; letting him work in the ER doesn't hurt anybody and benefits everybody he helps. You'll be losing a great employee if you do." She walked to the door and opened it to leave. "You do what you have to do, I don't care." With that, she slammed the door shut behind her and walked away, feeling as though she may have just committed career suicide.

By the time she got to Robert's room, she had calmed down somewhat, resigning herself to whatever fate Kerry Weaver decided for them. Robert was nearly inconsolable as he emerged from the anesthesia. Melanie's nerves were raw and seeing him in the bed, looking helpless and so small and frail brought her emotions back to the surface. "Robert!" she cried out, running over to his bed to look at him closely. Her throat felt tight as she stared down at his missing arm. It was jarring to see it gone for the first time, though she knew she'd adjust to it eventually. Elizabeth was still sitting by his side, quietly watching them. "Is he all right?" She sat down on the edge of the bed and took Robert's good hand in hers. "Robert, I'm here, Robert…"

"Melly…baby…" Robert's eyes were still closed, but he responded to her touch and the sound of her voice.

"The baby's ok, Robert. You saved the baby, remember? You saved his life…You're a hero, Robert," Melanie said, lying down next to him and wrapping her arm around his chest gently. Robert calmed down after that and fell into a more peaceful sleep, turning his head to rest it against her shoulder. When he had grown quiet and his breathing was steady, she lifted her head and looked up at Elizabeth. "How did it go?"

"He did just fine," Elizabeth said quietly, setting down the gauze she'd been using to dab at some oozing from his arm. "He's on heavy pain meds right now and he'll need to stay on them for a week or so. It's best to start off on a heavy pain medication regiment, it'll save him from experiencing long-term pain in the end. He's pretty groggy and will stay that way for a few days. But he'll be all right. He'll be able to start rehab in a couple weeks and get fitted for a prosthetic as well."

"Thank you for staying with him," Melanie replied, running her fingers around the wires and plastic tubes placed on Robert's chest at various locations. "I knew he was scared, and he didn't want me to see him like that…"

Kerry had followed Melanie to Robert's room and witnessed the scene. Could it be that Robert truly _did_ love Melanie? Did it make any difference in what would have to be done about the situation? It would take a lot of soul-searching and thinking to come to the right conclusion.

Elizabeth noticed Kerry from the corner of her eye and stood up. She kissed Robert on the forehead, and then kissed the top of Melanie's head before walking out of the room to give them some privacy. She closed the door and folded her arms, looking down at Kerry. "Have you decided what to do?" she asked coolly.

"I don't suppose I need to ask you if you knew all of this was going on," Kerry replied as they started walking down the hall.

"They aren't harming anybody," Elizabeth said, looking straight ahead. "What would you stand to gain from throwing the girl out of school and having Robert fired? He already gave you his job, what more do you want from him?"

"He was carrying on with a med student during his tenure as Chief of Staff. What sort of precedent would that be setting by letting it go unpunished? As it is, I'll have to review her grades from her ER and OR rotations to make sure that there was nothing wrong with them. If there's anything that looks like favoritism, I cannot allow her to keep them. Perhaps she would do better at a different medical school. One that doesn't have a connection to Robert."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I have to go make some arrangements for Robert," she said, turning to walk away. "You know, he and I have had our problems over the years. I've seen him at his very worst, believe me. I can assure you that she brings out the best in him. They're good for each other. That should count for something." With that, she walked away to her office to make the calls needed to arrange for the cremation of Robert's arm.

Kerry returned to her office and spent quite a bit of time thinking over the options before going home that night. Perhaps it was time to ask Anspaugh for input over the situation.

(SCENE)

Melanie stayed overnight with Robert, and kissed him when he woke up the next morning. "Hi, honey," she whispered as his eyes fluttered open. "How do you feel? Do you want to try sitting up?" She wrapped her arm around his waist and helped lift him up in the bed to sit against his pillows. He was very weak and still quite groggy, but he drank the water she gave him and indicated that he was hungry. "I'll go ask the nurse about some food for you," Melanie said before disappearing from the room for a few minutes.

Robert tried to think about what was going on, but he was on a high dose of pain medication and antibiotics and couldn't manage it. He saw Melanie return with a tray of food and ate as much as he could. He wasn't strong enough to feed himself, but she was very helpful, holding up the fork for him. "You need to eat too," he said in between bites.

"I will, when you're done," Melanie promised. "Your mom is going to come over today to stay with you while I'm upstairs. I don't know yet when you'll be coming home, but I think she wants to help out, if you'll let her. And my mother will be coming into town today too. I called her and told her about the baby and you and she insisted on flying in. I don't know what she plans on doing, but it appears as though our mothers are going to be meeting soon…"

Robert looked over at her and sighed. He should have known that was going to happen. He could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't telling him everything. "What else?" he prompted.

Melanie sighed and looked down at her hands for a moment before responding. "Dr. Weaver heard you last night talking about the baby…She knows everything," she said quietly. "She's currently deliberating our fates."

Robert looked up at the ceiling and wondered how things could get any worse than they already were. He truly didn't care about himself anymore. It didn't make any difference if he was fired or not. It was Melanie's future that was important. "I'll try to talk to her today if I can," he promised. Melanie fed him the rest of his breakfast before she had to leave for work. She started to cry, and he allowed her to cuddle with him for a few minutes before forcing her to go. "You can stop by later on your lunch break," he suggested. "And make sure to eat breakfast. I don't want you passing out."

Melanie promised to eat as she left his room. He was alone for the first time since the operation. It took several minutes to work up the nerve to look down at the stump that had just yesterday been his arm. When he did, he felt dizzy and looked away, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. It was done and over with now. There was no going back. He was going to have to adjust to being less than whole. A part of himself was now gone forever, and nothing would ever be the same again.


	26. The Mother Invasion

Donald Anspaugh sighed and rubbed his temples with his hand. "And you're certain he was carrying on with her while he was her mentor?" he asked Kerry Weaver the day after Robert's arm amputation. Kerry had approached him as soon as he'd arrived that morning, and they were eating breakfast at Doc Magoo's, where only months earlier, Robert had sat down with him and explained his plan to step down as Chief of Staff.

"Absolutely," Kerry replied. "I noticed certain things during the ER rotation, but I never had any concrete proof. But Ms. Hahn admitted to it when I asked her. There's no question, they've been involved since last September…"

Anspaugh shook his head and rolled his eyes. "That would explain why he took her to the surgeon's ball last Christmas," he replied. "Now that I know, it explains a lot about his behavior. It's why he fought for stronger security, and took a pay cut to help pay for it. And it's probably why he gave you his job and stepped down into the ER…I suppose it was naïve of me to assume he was doing the right thing because of selflessness…" He sighed and shook his head again. "He _would_ go and fall in love with a med student—that would be just like Robert to do. Find the most inappropriate thing you could do in a work place, and not even try to restrain yourself, just do it. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised given what we know about him."

Kerry hadn't known about the pay cut Robert had taken to pay for the security in the ER. She was amazed that he'd do such a selfless thing. Was this more proof that he truly _did_ love Melanie? Maybe there was more to it than just carnal lust. God, why did Robert have to make things so complicated? Ever since he'd returned to County he'd been nothing but a pain in the ass to everybody he encountered.

"And what about the girl's grades? He oversaw two of her rotations. What grades did he give her for them?"

"She received very high marks from him, though I can't find any proof that she didn't earn them honestly," Kerry admitted.

Anspaugh was silent for a moment, taking in everything he'd heard that morning. Finally, he made his verdict. "Robert's been through enough already, and he's no longer in a position of power at the hospital. He has to deal with rehabilitation and due to the fact that he was injured at work, he _could_ make a legal case out of it, which he'd very likely win, if he was let go now. Though, as this could become an issue for the legal department, I say we fine him two thousand dollars, one thousand for each rotation, to cover any possible damages he might have incurred. Obviously that's mostly symbolic, a slap on the wrist, if you will, but still, he clearly knew better and chose to act on his feelings anyway."

He was silent for another minute as he thought some more. "As for the girl…I say allow her to remain in school, but with the stipulation that she must repeat her ER and OR rotations with another advisor in order to ensure that there is no chance of favoritism. Given the alternative, I would say that's a very fair compromise."

Kerry nodded her head in agreement. "I agree, that's very fair," she replied. "I think that's a good idea, and I'll let them know later on today."

(SCENE)

News of Robert's accident and the true nature of his relationship with Melanie didn't take too much time to circulate the halls of County, and by Melanie's next shift, their love affair was the newest scandal that everybody was gossiping about. She ran into Tina Smith in the elevator and had to endure the other woman's smirks. "I always knew you were sleeping with Romano for the grades," she said boldly before getting off on her floor. "Too bad you were too stupid to use protection…"

When Melanie got off on her floor and walked to the Psych department, Dr. Hanson looked at her oddly. "How are you doing, Ms. Hahn?" she asked politely. "Any morning sickness today?"

"Not yet," Melanie replied quietly, not making eye contact. Fortunately, if Dr. Hanson disapproved of her relationship with Robert, she kept her opinion to herself. Most of the other employees were quite opinionated, or horrified, and had no qualms telling her so. The only people who were supportive and not rude to her, were the ER staff. And Elizabeth. Melanie was used to dealing with being unpopular, but she wasn't used to be so strongly disliked by so many people all at once. It was disheartening and difficult to handle.

Robert was still groggy and drugged when she stopped by on her lunch break. Melanie thought he was taking the amputation very well, but knew that as soon as he was off the drugs, it would hit him for real. "How are you?" he asked as she sat down next to him on the bed.

Melanie shrugged her shoulders and grabbed his hand. "Everybody knows now," she said quietly. "They pretty much hate me…"

"I'm sure they don't hate you," Robert said reassuringly, squeezing her hand. "They're just adjusting to the idea, that's all. Has Weaver talked to you yet?"

"No, and I'm dreading it. I just don't know what she's going to do to us…"

As if she had heard them and was answering a summons, Kerry Weaver appeared at the door. "May I come in?" she asked, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her.

"You just did," Robert replied, keeping his hand in Melanie's.

"I wanted to talk to you two alone," Kerry said, pulling a chair over towards the bed and sitting down near them. "I spoke with Anspaugh today, and we came up with a plan for how to handle the situation. I wanted to tell you as soon as I had the chance so you would know."

She watched as Melanie looked at Robert and frowned. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "It'll be ok," he said quietly. He squeezed her hand again and they turned and looked at Kerry.

"Robert…since you've already left the position of Chief of Staff, we've decided to let you stay on as you are now, but we will be fining you two thousand dollars for the infraction. In case this leads to any legal issues, that money will help offset those costs," Kerry spoke slowly and clearly, knowing Robert wasn't quite in his right mind at the moment.

Robert nodded his head. "I think that sounds fair," he replied.

"And Ms. Hahn, we have decided that you may remain a student here, but you will have to retake your ER and OR rotations with somebody else supervising." Kerry looked at Melanie carefully to see her reaction. It was a set-back, but she was already facing one when she had her baby.

Melanie felt her stomach twist as she heard about having to redo two rotations. It was definitely better than being thrown out of school, but she knew she would be at least a full year behind her classmates now. It was difficult to accept. Tears filled her eyes and she threw herself into Robert's good arm.

Melanie cried for several minutes while Robert glared at Kerry. He knew she and Anspaugh had shown them great mercy, but still it was difficult to accept such a huge set-back. Finally, Melanie calmed down and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Doctor Weaver," she said in a wavery voice. She stood up and let go of Robert's hand. "I have to get back to work now. I'll stop by again after my shift."

Kerry stayed in Robert's room after Melanie had left. "I didn't like having to do that to her, Robert, but you both knew what you were getting into when you chose to get involved with one another. You have only yourselves to blame," she said coolly, standing up and looking down at him.

"You _must_ stop by again soon, Kerry," Robert said in as sarcastic a tone he could muster. "You're such a ray of sunshine, you know?"

Kerry frowned and opened the door to leave. She nearly ran into a woman walking towards Robert's room. "Is this Dr. Romano's room?" the woman asked. "I'm looking for my daughter, Melanie Hahn. She told me to find Dr. Romano."

Kerry looked closely at the woman. She looked like an older, more distinguished version of her daughter. "Uh, yes, he's just inside, but I'm afraid Ms. Hahn's returned to her shift in the Psych ward at the moment. You won't be able to visit her until she's finished," she replied politely.

"Thank you," Melanie's mother said with a smile before walking to Robert's door and knocking on it. Kerry watched as she walked into the room and shut the door behind her.

Robert looked up to see a person who looked like his fiancé from twenty five years in the future. "You're Ava, aren't you?" he asked, blinking a couple times to make sure he hadn't made a mistake.

"Yes," Ava replied, smiling and walking over to his bed. "And you must be Robert. I recognized your voice when we spoke over the phone about wedding plans." She sat down at the foot of his bed. "Melanie told me what happened. I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this. I hope I can be of some help to you and Melanie. She told me about the baby…It sounds like you two are about to be overwhelmed…"

Robert looked at Ava carefully. She had the same mousy-brown hair and soft hazel eyes that Melanie had. He felt quite reassured that Melanie would look like her when she was the same age. He was a very lucky man indeed. Well, if he ignored the fact that he and Melanie just got reamed by Weaver and he was now missing a limb. Other than that, he was in great shape. "Sure, sure, that'll be great," he said with a tired smile. His eyes began to droop and he felt like he might fall asleep any second.

"Here, let me help you," Ava said, standing up and walking over to him. She helped him lie back down in the bed, and rearranged the pillows behind his head. "Now, you just go right to sleep. I'll find something to keep myself occupied." Robert patted her hand and fell asleep before he could say anything to her.

(SCENE)

Melanie walked into Robert's room a few hours later to see him asleep, and her mother and Peggy sitting on either side of the bed looking down at him. Peggy was speaking quietly and Ava was listening and nodding her head. "He was always an inquisitive and demanding child," Peggy said, patting Robert's hand fondly.

"Melanie was inquisitive too, but very quiet and gentle," Ava added. "I always had to encourage her to join in with the children in the neighborhood. She was more inclined to stay in her room and read a book all day long if I'd let her." She looked up and saw her daughter at the doorway. "There's my girl now!" She got up and walked to the door, hugging Melanie tightly while Melanie wrapped her arms around her mother and started to cry.

All the stress over the last couple days was overwhelming and having her mother there was such a comfort. It was the first time she'd seen her mother in three years. "I'm so glad you're here," she cried.

"Oh, my baby…Let me get a good look at you," Ava said, pulling away to look over Melanie. "You're so skinny! But you do have a little baby bump…"

Peggy jumped up and joined them. "Oh, you do, it's the cutest little bump," she added. "I bet there's the cutest little baby in the world in there."

Melanie clapped her hands to her stomach and grinned. "I think so too," she declared. "Robert and I are very excited about the baby. We've already started putting the nursery together."

"Peggy and I have been talking and getting to know each other since she arrived a couple hours ago, and we came up with a plan to help you two out," Ava said, giving her daughter another hug. "I am going to move in with you and Robert and help keep the house under control. I'll make sure you get to work and have all your meals made for you. I can do the laundry and the grocery shopping, all those things. And Peggy is going to make sure that Robert gets to all his appointments and places he'll need to go for his arm. And she can help take care of him when you're at work. And both of us can help with wedding plans when there's time. It should work out perfectly!"

Melanie took a deep breath as she realized just how much her mother and Robert's intended to help out in their lives. It would take some adjusting to, but hopefully it would work out all right. And hopefully Robert would be all right with it.

Robert woke up a short time later to see three women hovering over him. "Mmm, what's going on?" he asked, trying to sit up.

Melanie and Peggy bent down at the same time to help him and each took a side to help lift him up. Melanie had the side with the missing arm and tried to touch him gingerly; she sat down next to him when he was sitting up. "Peggy and my mom have decided that they're going to help us out," she said carefully. "My mother's going to be staying with us for a while…"

Robert looked over at Ava and smiled politely. "That'll be great," he replied. Peggy leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Mom," he said, leaning in to give her a hug.

"My boy…" she said, her lip quivering as she ran her fingers over his cheek. She threw her arms around his shoulders. "My baby…" She began to cry and Robert did his best to console her.

Melanie reached out to her own mother for comfort and felt better when Ava walked up behind her and hugged her. "Everything's going to be ok," she whispered in Melanie's ear.

(SCENE)

Robert was in the hospital for about a week and a half before he was strong enough to go home again. He was still on heavy painkillers and antibiotics, but he was able to stand and walk on his own, though his balance was off now. It would take time for him to learn how to walk properly again.

"Robert, what would you like for your first meal at home after so long?" Melanie asked as she wheeled his wheelchair through the halls to the elevator. He had gotten increasingly more difficult to deal with during his hospital stay and she was glad to be taking him home. He'd be more comfortable in his own bed and with his own possessions. "Would you like me to make something or we could buy something on the way home…"

"I don't want to _buy_ anything," Robert snapped. "I just want to go home and stay there." He was going stir-crazy in the hospital, and everybody was hovering around him and driving him mad. He just wanted to get home and stay there.

The highlight of his week and a half had been the first sponge-bath he had received from the nurse. Melanie had walked in on them on one of her breaks and had freaked out. Just the thought of it still made him smile. He'd been less than thrilled that he had to resort to sponge-baths during his stay, but having Melanie tell the nurse that in no uncertain terms was she to sponge anything below his waistline had made it all worthwhile. "Anything below the belt is mine! That's _my_ job!" she had declared loudly while glaring at the nurse. The nurse hadn't put up a fight and had gratefully allowed Melanie to take over the bathing process. Melanie had done an excellent job, much to his enjoyment.

But other than that, it had been mind-numbingly dull and he was beyond ready to go home. He just wanted to lock himself in his bedroom and never leave again. And maybe he'd let Melanie stay with him. When he wanted company. Or a sponge-bath.

"Well there's no food in the house, so maybe I can go to the store and buy a chicken or something. How would you like roast chicken and potatoes?" Melanie was desperate to cheer Robert up, but he seemed determined to be miserable no matter what.

"Melanie, let somebody else push me," he growled. "You're pregnant, you shouldn't be pushing me. You're going to hurt yourself!"

Melanie looked over at her mother, who quickly took over wheeling Robert. Melanie moved next to him and took his hand in hers. "Happy now?" Robert squeezed her hand, but didn't speak, so she continued. "I'm going to make a roast chicken. It's my best dish and I know you like it. What do you think?"

In response, Robert pulled her hand hard, yanking her down onto his lap. She squealed and Ava stopped pushing the wheelchair. "I suppose that works," he replied. "It _is_ your specialty." He wrapped his arm around her. "And when we're done with dinner, since you gave me plenty of baths this week, maybe it's time for me to give you a sponge-bath in return…"

Melanie gasped and turned beet red. "Robert! Our mothers are right here…" she hissed, unwrapping his arm and standing up.

"Relax, we didn't hear anything," Peggy said, from the other side of the wheelchair. "We're just glad to see Robby still has a sense of humor."

Robert realized he needed a sense of humor to get through all of this. His mother was going to be taking over many of the small details of his life, and his future mother-in-law was moving into his house. His fiancé was still in her Psych rotation, surrounded by crazy people who were determined to kill her and their unborn child, and he was now missing a limb. He had to endure excruciating physical therapy again and now this time around, he had to see a shrink too, to deal with the loss. It was one of the stipulations Kerry had set for his return to work. He had to find humor in it all or it would kill him.

Melanie helped get Robert settled into bed while their mothers hovered nervously around them. "I need to go to the store," she said when he was relaxed. "I'm going to take mom so she'll know where it is. This is her first time in Chicago after all…" She leaned down and kissed Robert. "I love you."

Robert looked at Peggy after Melanie and Ava left the room. "Looks like it's just you and me now," he said lightly as his mother sat down beside him. "We're going to have _so_ much fun…"

Peggy sighed and frowned. "Robby, this is going to be a lot of work for all of us," she said slowly, "But you're so strong, I know you are going to get through this just fine. It'll take time though, but you will. I'll make sure of it and so will Melanie." She leaned over and hugged her son and Robert made no move to stop her.

(SCENE)

Melanie drove her mother to the store, explaining the directions and pointing out other sights and places to visit along the way. "There's some wonderful bookstores around here and some coffee shops," she said as they walked into the store and grabbed a cart. "This is a wonderful store, the produce is always so fresh. They have _purple_ potatoes, so much variety!"

As they walked up and down the aisles, picking up things to refill the empty shelves at home, Melanie pointed out all of Robert's favorite items. "He's a meat and potatoes guy mostly, but he likes some fancy stuff too, and spicy foods. He likes curry and his favorite vegetable is green beans. He likes them steamed. He used to eat the canned kind but I made him start eating the fresh ones and he likes them now. I'm trying to get him to eat healthier foods, but it's taking time for him to adjust. He's a chocoholic too; I've never known a man to like chocolate as much as he does!"

Ava smiled at her daughter as they walked past the baby food section. "Look at all the varieties they have these days!" she exclaimed as Melanie stopped to look at the rows and rows of baby food. "They didn't have half of this stuff when you were a baby."

Melanie grinned as she looked at the different kinds of food. She wrinkled her nose at some of it. "Pureed chicken? Gross…I can't imagine _that's_ very delicious…Macaroni and cheese? What's wrong with fruits and vegetables? That has to be much healthier…"

"Some of that is a bit much," Ava agreed, "I can't wait to see a picture of my grandchild spitting out his first mouthful of strained peas. It's a rite of passage for all babies."

Melanie laughed and picked up a jar of peas. "I don't see why babies spit them out, they look so amazing…" She put it in the cart to take home to show Robert.

When they reached the butcher section, Melanie picked out the biggest chicken she could find. "Robert loves my roast chicken, he thinks it's the best he's ever had," she declared proudly as they walked to the produce section for potatoes.

"You've never been much of a cook, I'm glad to see that you're working on those skills," Ava replied. "I'm sure you do a wonderful job."

"Maybe I'll make some stuffing," Melanie continued. "Robert makes wonderful stuffing at Thanksgiving. It has sausage in it! I'd never heard of that before, it must be a regional thing. I didn't taste it though, I'm a vegetarian now…"

"Is that why you're so skinny? Honey, are you sure you're getting enough nutrients?"

"Mom, don't worry, I'm very healthy. I even talked with a nutritionist about it so I know I'm fine."

They finished going up and down all the aisles, they had a very full cart. "Robert gave me his credit card," Melanie said as they went through the check-out lane. "He said when we get married we can put my name on his account and I'll get my own card." They spent three hundred dollars on groceries and ended up with six bags to put in the car.

Once they got back home, they spent a half hour putting everything away. Melanie showed Ava where everything went in the kitchen. Peggy joined them and helped put the food away. Melanie took the opportunity to slip upstairs to have some time alone with Robert. She put the jar of peas in her pocket to show him.

"Robert, you awake?" she called out while opening the bedroom door.

Robert was practicing walking around the room by himself. Every once in a while his balance would be thrown off and he'd bump into the bed or the chest of drawers, but for the most part he was doing very well. "You're back," he said, turning and watching with amazement as Melanie walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I missed you," she said, kissing his cheek.

Robert kissed her in return, letting his hand wander. When it hit her pocket, he pulled back, looking curious at her. "Is there something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" he asked.

Melanie giggled and pulled the jar out of her pocket. She threw herself onto the bed and held it out to him. "Bought it at the store today, apparently babies _love_ strained peas…"

Robert took the jar and smiled. "Are you going to raise our son to be some veggie-loving hippie?" He sat down on the bed next to her, set the jar down and ran his fingertips up and down her arm.

"Maybe…but you'll get a say as well," Melanie replied. "I mean, you are the father after all." She reached over and caressed Robert's chest. "How are you doing? Do you want to take a nice long bath before dinner? It'll be nice to take normal showers and baths again, won't it?"

"I dunno, I sort of like it when you give me a below-the-waist sponge bath," Robert said, lying down and grinning as Melanie straddled his waist. "I know I drive the ladies crazy, they just can't keep their hands off me. So it was a good thing you claimed me for yourself back at the hospital." He gasped when she reached her hand down and slipped it into his shorts. "You know, I think the nurses were lined up waiting for a chance to bathe me." His voice was husky as Melanie continued to keep her hand where it was. "It's ok though, cuz I still like you the most."

"I'm very glad to hear that," Melanie murmured, "I would be very sad if you left me for one of the nurses…"

"Never!" Robert gasped. He tried to keep his breathing under control, but she was too good at what she was doing and he'd gone for too long without relief. He didn't last long before losing control.

Melanie stood up to get a towel from the bathroom when Peggy knocked on the door. "Robert, are you sleeping?" Robert swore and tried to cover himself up in case his mother walked in without waiting and Melanie rushed over with the towel to clean up the scene.

"Uh, just a second!" she called out, helping Robert pull his shorts back up and get settled back into the bed. She threw the towel into the hamper in the bathroom and washed her hands before opening the door for Peggy. "We were just talking, you know, getting caught up and all that," she said as the older woman came into the room. "We had a lot of _catching up_ to do…" She winked at Robert from behind Peggy's back and he did his best to ignore it. "Well, I'll leave you two here, I'm going to work on dinner now."

Melanie felt added pressure to make sure dinner was perfect seeing as she was cooking not only for Robert, but for her mother and future mother-in-law as well. She had to make them think she was a good cook.

Fortunately dinner turned out very well and everybody was quite impressed with it. "Melanie, you should be very proud of yourself, you did a wonderful job," Peggy praised before pouring herself another glass of red wine. "Ava, dear, would you like some? Robby has wonderful taste in his wines."

"I don't mind if I do," Ava replied, holding her glass out for more.

"Mom, after dinner, I need to get you set up with a bed somewhere," Melanie replied, remembering that they no longer had a guest room.

"Nonsense," Peggy said emphatically. "I have an extra bedroom in my condo, why doesn't Ava stay with me? We can drive over each morning together."

Melanie glanced over at Robert, who looked quite eager at the prospect of not having an extra houseguest. "I don't see why not, if mom is ok with it," she replied.

Ava smiled and nodded her head. "I think that would be a perfect solution," she said.

(SCENE)

Life settled into a new sort of routine after that. Ava and Peggy became roommates and arrived first thing every morning to help get their children settled for the day. Ava made breakfast for everybody and made a lunch and snacks for Melanie for work. Peggy acted as Robert's chauffer and drove him to and from his appointments all over town. Ava also made sure the house remained functional, and that there was a nice, hot meal for Robert each night, and for Melanie on the days she was home in time for one. Robert had to work quite hard to convince Ava not to go up to the hospital with Melanie's dinner on a plate for her when she had to work nights. "Doc Magoo's is open all night long, she'll be able to get a hot meal there, I promise," he told her. He could only imagine Melanie's humiliation if her mother showed up with dinner. She was still having to handle the repercussions of the scandal at work and didn't need anything more to add to it.

Robert and Melanie soon learned that they didn't have much privacy when their mothers were at the house. Neither mother felt too inclined to knock on the bedroom door or wait to be invited in if they did.

One morning, Robert was trying to get dressed by himself when Ava walked in with a laundry basket to collect the dirty clothes. He covered himself up in time to prevent her from seeing everything, but he noticed that she left the room with a slight smile on her face. He sighed and tried not to think about what that meant.

A couple weeks later, Melanie and Robert were finally enjoying an intimate moment for the first time in several weeks, when Peggy knocked on the door once and walked into the room. "Robert, you have your fitting appointment in an hour, make sure you're ready by—Oh!" She stopped short of the bed and quickly spun around as Melanie turned crimson, slid off of Robert's waist and hid under the comforter.

"Ma! You have to wait for us to say it's ok to come inside after you knock!" Robert shouted angrily. "I'll be ready for the appointment, now would you please go downstairs?"

"Sorry, sorry, don't mind me," Peggy replied sheepishly, walking to the door to leave.

When she was gone, Melanie slowly resurfaced and began to sob. "I've never been more humiliated in my life!" she wailed.

Robert held her in his arm, trying his best to comfort her. "Hey, guess what," he said quietly. "I forgot to tell you that I got a call from the jeweler. Your engagement ring is ready…I was going to pick it up today."

"Oh! Oh, that's wonderful, Robert!" Melanie sat up in the bed, wiped away her tears, and looked down at him. "I can't wait to see it and wear it. We should do something special, don't you think? Maybe we could go out to dinner, just you and I?"

Robert reached out and pulled her down on top of him again. "I think that sounds perfect," he said, moving her over so he could continue with what they'd been doing before his mother's interruption. "Tonight, after your shift, we'll go out somewhere and I'll give you the ring. Do you like that idea?"

Melanie gasped and shuddered. "Yes!" she cried out. Robert looked up at her and still felt amazed that she continued to find him attractive. He was still adjusting to his new look. Every time he looked in the mirror, he felt a little ill, but tried his best to ignore it. He didn't understand how she didn't think him an ugly ogre now, but she had assured him once that "Symmetry is overrated." He was slowly beginning to trust her that she truly meant it and wasn't going to abandon him.

She settled back at his side and kissed his collar bone. "I don't want to go to work, I wish we could stay like this all day long," she murmured in his ear. "But, the good news is I only have three days left of the rotation."

"Have you signed up for your next rotation?" Robert asked, kissing her on the nose and the mouth.

"I think I need to take something a little lighter next," she replied when he'd finished kissing her. "As the baby is only going to get bigger and I'm just going to get more exhausted, I don't want to do anything too physically straining. I was thinking of my Pedes rotation next and then maybe OB after that."

"You'll be a baby expert just in time to have ours," Robert said with a smile. "Smart thinking."

The last thing he did before they left the room that morning, was to make a "Do Not Disturb" sign for their door. Hopefully that would put an end to the awkward moments with their mothers.

(SCENE)

While Melanie was at work, Robert was at his fitting appointment for his prosthetic arm. He didn't enjoy it very much, but it was less excruciating than his physical therapy or visits to the shrink. He wasn't sure how he felt about the prosthetic. He knew Melanie wasn't too keen on it. She'd mentioned a few times about not minding the way he looked now and that she was a fan of a more "natural" look, as she put it. He hoped she'd adjust, because it would help his mobility a lot to have something adding weight to his left side. He was still walking into things and he didn't enjoy the bruises.

After the fitting, Peggy drove him to the jeweler where he picked up Melanie's ring. It was just as beautiful as her drawing had been. Robert gazed at it for a couple minutes in the shop before thanking the jeweler and returning to the car.

That night, he and Melanie drove to a deli to buy food for a picnic. They drove to the lake and spread a blanket out along the sandy shore. Melanie made sandwiches for them and opened bottles of Sprite for them to drink. It was a beautiful early June evening, just perfect for a picnic by the lake. She cut up an apple into slices and opened a bag of pretzels. They ate and talked for a couple hours, watching the sun go down over the tops of the trees. When it grew chilly, Melanie snuggled up next to Robert, and enjoyed how close she could now get to on his left side without having to worry about hurting his arm.

"I have something for you," he said at one point in time. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the small box nestled snugly inside. He held it out to her and when Melanie opened it up he watched as a huge smile erupted on her face. "I asked you a while back, and you said yes, but now, some things have changed, and I wanted to make sure you hadn't changed your mind. So…I'm going to ask you again." He stopped and took a deep breath. "Melanie…Will you marry me?"

Melanie's eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head. "Yes, most definitely!" she exclaimed before throwing her arms around him. Robert lost his balance and they went flying backwards onto the blanket. He felt humiliated that he'd lost his balance, but she didn't even notice it because she was too busy pummeling his face with kisses. After a few seconds, he wrapped his arm around her, let the embarrassment go, and just enjoyed the moment instead.

When they had calmed down again, Robert sat up and found the box with the ring still in it. He took the ring out and asked for Melanie's hand. He took off the temporary ring, placed it in the box, and slipped the new ring onto her finger. Melanie leaned into Robert and they sat in the twilight for a long time, not speaking, just enjoying the silence. She continued to look down at her ring and smile. "You know what the best part of this evening has been?" she asked as they folded up the blanket and got ready to leave.

"What?" Robert asked, shaking sand out of his shoes and slipping them on.

"No mothers…"

Robert began to laugh, and sat down on a log so he wouldn't fall over. Melanie sat down next to him and wrapped her arm through his. They kissed for a few minutes before standing back up and walking to the car. They laughed and talked the entire way home.

(SCENE)

Melanie's Psych rotation ended with very little fanfare. She had made it through and had done as well as she possibly could under the circumstances. She hoped that the insanity of the scandal would begin to die down and everybody would forget about it soon. It made her feel paranoid to walk down the halls of the hospital and wonder if the whispers she heard and glances she got from people were related to her relationship with Robert. People had been very curious about it and didn't hold themselves back from asking her extremely personal questions.

"You actually have sex with him? Willingly?" One of the Psych nurses asked with a grimace.

"How is he in bed?" Another nurse asked. "I've always wondered why he's called 'Rocket'…" The other nurses in the group giggled at the joke while Melanie tried her best to ignore it.

"I bet he likes it rough," one of the nurses said in between giggles. "He seems like that type, he's always so harsh to everybody."

"That's enough!" Melanie cried, turning and looking at the group of cackling women. "My personal life with Robert is exactly that, personal! It's my business and I'll thank you to mind your own!" The nurses looked at her like she was rude for interrupting them, and she was about to speak again when she felt a strange fluttering feeling in her stomach. It felt like the nervous butterfly feeling she got when she was apprehensive, only a bit stronger. She clapped her hands to her stomach, and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Melanie walked into the restroom and locked herself into a stall for a few minutes, trying to calm herself down again. She placed her hands on her slightly swelling abdomen and tried to imagine her baby floating around inside her. He was unaware of any drama at work or sadness over his daddy's recent loss, all he knew was the comfort of floating in warm water all day long. Was that what she had felt? Was he swimming around down there? She tried to absorb the peace and serenity her baby was enveloped in, and let it carry her through the rest of the day. With a deep breath, she opened the stall door and returned to work.

Every time something upset her or bothered her, she stopped and imagined her baby floating around inside her and it made her feel better. It also made her more cautious around patients. It was finally hitting her how precious the cargo she was carrying truly was. There was nothing between the cruel world and her baby but her body. Anything could happen; anybody could do anything to her. It was a terrifying thought.

That evening, after her final Psych shift, she locked herself into the bedroom with Robert, and confessed all her fears to him. Robert sat on the bed, and reached out to touch her belly. "I'm so glad you're done with that rotation; it'll be such a huge relief to me not to have to worry every moment of every day anymore…" He smiled and looked up at her. "You're getting bigger, did you realize that?" he said quietly. He lifted her shirt up and unbuttoned her slacks, which was difficult for him to do, but he needed the practice.

Melanie sighed and scratched her stomach. "Those are getting so tight now," she remarked as Robert ran his hand over her abdomen. "I can't always tell, you know? It's like I see it too much so I don't always notice when it's growing. But I think I'm getting to the point where I'll need some new clothes soon…"

Robert leaned his head against her stomach and continued to run his hand over her. "There's no mistaking it anymore, babygirl," he said. "You are totally pregnant."

Melanie reached down and pulled her shirt completely off, then ran her fingers on Robert's smooth scalp. "I totally am," she agreed, leaning down to kiss his head. When he stood up to get a better look at her stomach, she looked down and frowned. "I can't see my feet anymore. She tried to bend over to see them and winced. "Oh, I can't bend so well either. I really thought I'd have more time before all of this started happening…"

"Well, you're smaller so any changes are bound to show themselves more prominently," Robert said, grinning at how much she'd grown in a month and a half. "You should buy some new clothes on your next day off. Do you know if they make sexy maternity lingerie?"

"I don't know, but I'll keep an eye out for some…It's good to see you have your priorities in order…"

"You know it," Robert said, before he started to take his clothes off. "You've never been sexier, and I think I should be able to enjoy every minute of it." He smiled as they started to kiss. With his amputation and her getting so large so quickly, it had made for some interesting experimentation in the bedroom. "We just have to be creative, that's all."

Melanie was enjoying an increase in her libido during her second trimester, and consequently, so was Robert. They had both worried about him and his level of desire after the operation, but Melanie hadn't let him give in to depression or despair over it. He had his days and moments of feeling upset over the situation and not being in the mood, but mostly, when she walked around their room naked, he generally forgot about it and pounced on her instead.

Once they had finished their lovemaking, Robert settled himself next to Melanie, running his fingers over her stomach and making her laugh at the touch. "I want to come to your next appointment," he said quietly. "Now that everybody at the hospital knows about us, I suppose there's no reason for me not to anymore."

"I would love you to come with me," Melanie said with a grin. "Dr. Sladen is such a wonderful woman, I think you'll really like her. And I'm going to get my eighteen week ultrasound done, so we'll get a new picture to replace the old one. I bet our little guy looks a lot bigger than a bean now!"

Robert kissed her stomach. "More like a can of beans," he commented lightly.

Melanie laughed. "I suppose I am that big now," she replied. "Dr. Sladen says we might be able to find out the gender this time. Eighteen weeks is about the earliest you can tell, I guess. That would be nice, and then we could do some clothes shopping!"

Robert pressed his hand to her abdomen. "Have you felt him move yet?"

"I think so…Just once, a few days ago. But you weren't around and then I forgot." Melanie pressed her own hand to the other side of her stomach, trying to see if she could feel anything. "It was like a little flutter on the inside, like you know how it feels when you get nervous? Only a bit stronger."

Robert pressed his ear to her stomach, thinking that maybe it was like putting your ear to a seashell. Maybe he'd be able to hear sounds projected through Melanie's womb, like sonar. He knew it was probably too soon to be able to feel a kick, but maybe the baby would float up and bump Melanie's stomach and he'd be able to feel the sensation.

Melanie watched in silence as her fiancé listened intently to her stomach. She smiled at how interested in the pregnancy he was. Her eyebrows rose when he gasped and jerked his head away from her stomach after a couple minutes. "I heard something! I could feel it! It was like a flutter, like you said, did you feel it?"

"No…" Melanie felt disappointed that she'd missed it. She remained where she was as Robert jumped up and ran to get his stethoscope. It felt cold when he pressed it against her skin. He moved the stethoscope around a few times and listened.

Robert could hear a faint heartbeat, but assumed it was Melanie's. The baby was far too small to hear a heartbeat yet, but he thought he could make out sounds of the baby moving around. The little fluttering feeling sounded very loud and he wondered what exactly the baby was doing. Somersaults perhaps? Suddenly there was a loud sound that caused him to pull the earpieces out of his ears. "I think he kicked you right where the chestpiece was," he explained, rubbing his ears. "He's pretty active right now."

"Well, we were pretty active just a short time ago; it probably got him riled up. And now that I'm not moving, he can have more room to squirm around," Melanie replied with a smile. "Are you having fun bonding with the baby?"

Robert grinned and nodded his head. "Do you want to let our mothers in on this? Or keep this to ourselves for a while?"

"Let's wait until after the appointment, and we can announce the gender."

(SCENE)

Robert was nervous about returning to the hospital after his amputation. All his physical therapy and psychiatric sessions were done at different facilities, and he hadn't had to deal with his coworkers seeing him minus an arm yet. He just hoped he could manage to walk in a straight line.

Melanie started her Pedes rotation a couple days later, and found it much harder to work with children than she ever thought it would be. She loved children, and the patients she took care of were a joy to be around. But the fact that they were ill, many of them with fatal illnesses, made it very hard to handle. Being pregnant only made it worse. All she could imagine was her own child in a hospital one day, helpless against a sickness he couldn't fight. The first week of her rotation, she ended up in tears at least once a day.

Her resident took notice of it and pulled her aside to talk one day during lunch. "You know, I always check with my students after a few days to see how they're doing," Dr. Chapman said. "I know working with children can be upsetting to handle sometimes, so I try to keep a close eye on my students. I've noticed that you seem particularly upset. Is everything all right?"

Melanie looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. "It's so hard seeing them so sick," she replied quietly. "I'm four months pregnant; it just feels too close to home I think. I don't know what I was expecting it to be like, but maybe I made a mistake taking this rotation while I'm pregnant."

Dr. Chapman nodded his head. "I understand, sometimes it can be very difficult for a parent to work in Pedes," he smiled sympathetically. "I know you may feel like quitting, but I think it would be worse for you _after_ you have your baby. I think you should just tough it out now. And who knows, maybe you'll adjust to it. Sometimes it just takes a little time to get used to it."

Each night, Melanie went home and sobbed. Sometimes to Robert, sometimes to her mother. Both did their best to comfort her, but she was nearly inconsolable. "I don't see why they make you do a whole rotation in something if you can tell right away that it's not right for you," she wailed as Robert held her in his arm. "This is just cruel torture!"

"I'm sorry, babygirl," Robert whispered, "I wish I could get you out of the rotation, but it's required…"

"I know, and maybe my resident was right, maybe I will adjust after a while." Melanie sniffled and rested her head on Robert's shoulder. "It's just that every time I see one of the kids all I can think of is our child in their place. It's all I can focus on when I'm there. I just want to run away and hide; I want to lock myself in this room and never come out. I don't want anything to hurt our baby!"

Robert held her tightly, kissing the top of her head. He'd had his turn being in constant worry during her Psych rotation; apparently it was her turn now. "I think it'll get better," he said, "I worried constantly about you and the baby during your Psych rotation, but it got a little easier as the weeks went by. It's just hitting you all at once. Just wait until you get the next sonogram and you see the baby. You'll feel better then."

"I hope so…"

A week later, Robert and Melanie went in to meet with Dr. Sladen. Robert had only seen her in passing before and had never had any problems with her while he was Chief of Staff. "Dr. Romano, it's a pleasure to meet you," Dr. Sladen said as she walked into the room and saw him standing next to Melanie.

"Yes, it's good to meet you too," he replied, holding out his hand to shake hers. If she had any sort of disapproval over his relationship with Melanie, she didn't show it at all. He could see why Melanie felt comfortable around her. There was something very maternal about her that put him at ease.

Dr. Sladen measured Melanie's growth and weight gain since her last appointment. "You've gained five and a half pounds in the last month," she announced. "That's actually about a pound _less_ than you should be gaining per month. You should probably eat a little more each day to make sure you stay on track."

"But I'm so huge already," Melanie replied incredulously. "I'm going to have to buy maternity clothes now."

Dr. Sladen smiled kindly and nodded her head. "That's what happens in your second trimester," she said knowingly. "You need to make sure you're eating enough calories to offset all the exercise you get here at the hospital."

"I'll let her mother know to prepare more snacks for her each day," Robert said, squeezing Melanie's hand. "Or to deep-fry them, if nothing else."

Dr. Sladen did the ultrasound, and Robert's face was plastered to the monitor the entire time. She had to ask him to move a few times so she could see what she was looking for. "Robert, come hold my hand," Melanie called out so he'd leave the doctor alone. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Dr. Sladen looked at the screen.

"Well, good news," she finally announced. "I don't see any signs of congenital defects or Downs syndrome. And I can positively assure you that there is only _one_ baby, and it appears to be around four ounces in weight. Also, if you like, I can try to assess the gender. Is that something you'd like to know?"

Robert and Melanie looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding their heads. "Yes, please," she replied.

Dr. Sladen went back to the machine and began to scan again. She studied the monitor for a few minutes. "The baby is moving around a bit right now, I need to wait until the baby slows down." Robert looked at the screen and grinned as he watched his baby flip around. Finally, after a minute or so, the movement slowed down and the doctor was able to look for the gender.

Robert moved closer to the monitor again, trying to see if he could spot anything, but everything looked so blurry he couldn't make anything out. He finally saw something and pointed to the screen. "There's the head, I can see the head," he whispered, feeling oddly choked up at being able to see the shape of his child's head so clearly. "I can see the nose, the baby has a nose!"

Dr. Sladen smiled at him and pointed to the monitor. "The baby has a nose," she confirmed. "And if you look where I'm pointing, you'll see something else the baby has…"

Robert looked at the spot she was pointing to and grinned. He turned and looked at Melanie. "I told you I was right," he said lightly. He'd never been happier to be right in all his life.

"I'll never doubt your instincts, now," Melanie said, feeling elated as she gazed at the monitor. "Hi, baby boy. Baby Boy Romano…"

Dr. Sladen took a few screen shots of the sonogram for them to keep as a souvenir. After thanking her, they left to go buy baby and maternity clothes. But first, Robert insisted on stopping by their coworkers to show off the pictures.

"Elizabeth, it's nice to see you," he said as they walked into her office.

"Oh, Robert, look at you up and around already," she replied, standing up to give him a hug. "You look wonderful."

Robert took the pictures out of his pocket and handed them to her. "We just had a new sonogram done, and look at our little bundle of joy to be," he said with a smile.

Elizabeth looked at the pictures and smiled too. "Oh, Robert, Melanie, what fun this all must be for you."

"It is, and check this out," Robert said, pointing to a spot on one of the pictures. "It's a boy!"

"Ella will be thrilled to know that. She's been asking if you're going to have a baby girl or a baby boy. She says she wants a little brother, so that'll make her happy. I keep trying to explain it to her that your baby isn't going to be her brother, but she doesn't seem to understand."

"Well, I don't mind," Melanie replied. "Ella's welcome to think of him as her brother if she wants to."

After leaving Elizabeth's office, they ran across Dr. Dorset and Dr. Edson, and Robert was compelled to show off the pictures to them too. He knew they couldn't care less about a baby, but he had to prove to them once and for all that Melanie was off-limits. "As you can see, it's a boy," he bragged proudly as he pointed to the picture. Both men congratulated him politely before excusing themselves.

Downstairs in the ER, they showed the pictures to Susan and Carter and anybody else who was around the admit desk. "Check out my son," Robert demanded proudly.

Susan clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. "I'm so happy for you two!" she cried a moment later after looking at the pictures. "What a cute little profile he's got! Such an adorable little nose." She looked carefully at Melanie and Robert, then back at the picture. "I think he's got Melanie's nose…" she declared. "This is wonderful news; now I can buy the little guy some clothes."

"That was my thought exactly too!" Melanie said. "I have to go buy some maternity clothes for myself, but I was going to start buying baby clothes now as well."

"And how are you doing, Robert?" Susan asked, looking at him with a friendly smile. "You're looking wonderful."

"I'm doing as well as can be expected, I suppose," Robert said quietly. "Some moments are better than others. But I've managed to stay rather distracted…Actually, Melanie can't keep her hands off me, truth be told…"

"What?" Melanie asked, turning to look at Robert after hearing her name. She'd been talking to Abby and showing her the pictures.

Susan laughed as Robert glanced at Melanie. "Oh, nothing…" he replied.

As Robert and Melanie returned to the floor to walk to the parking garage, they were unpleasantly surprised to see Kerry Weaver walking towards them. She appeared as unpleasantly surprised as they were too. "Robert, it's good to see you up and about again," she said in greeting. "What brings here today?"

Robert held the pictures out to show her. "I came with Melanie for her sonogram," he explained. "We found out we're having a son."

Melanie wrapped her arm around Robert's waist. "We've very happy about it," she added. "But if you'll excuse us, I need to go do some clothes shopping. I need to make sure I have comfortable clothes I can actually fit into to wear at work."

Kerry looked as though she'd been slapped in the face. She held the pictures out and managed a slight smile. "I'm very happy for you two," she said quietly.

Robert took the pictures back and turned to leave. "Well, I promised I'd go with her," he said. "See you around, Kerry." He worked very hard to walk away without stumbling. It was imperative to him to show Kerry Weaver that nothing had changed about him after his operation. He couldn't let her win.

A/N: Due to real life commitments, I am further behind in the next chapter than I'd like to be. I am going to skip posting next week so I can have more time to get caught up. Also, I am getting to the end of this story. I hope to finish in thirty chapters, which I think is a nice, round number. A very large number...! I hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it so far, and I will be back in two weeks!


	27. Viva Las Vegas

A/N: I have decided to switch to an every other week posting schedule from here on out. I have some real life stuff to deal with and these chapters are monsters in length, so one week just isn't enough time anymore. I hope to wrap this story up in about thirty chapters, so I am getting towards the end. I'm sad that it's ending, as I have really loved writing this story and sharing it with you all. An now, without further ado, I give you the next installment!

Robert did his best to tell people that he was happy his child was healthy and growing big and strong, as babies should, but deep down, he was more elated than he'd ever felt in his life that he was having a son. He'd had an inkling, but it was good to have it confirmed. It was just one more way he was proving himself superior to his brother. The Romano family name and bloodline would continue, through him, not his brother. Yes, Valerie was a Romano, and the bloodline would technically exist in her, but not in name. No, the Romano name would pass through him, to his son, for another generation. It was the best feeling, and did a lot to boost his ego.

He and Melanie drove downtown after finishing at the hospital and spent a couple hours shopping for maternity clothes. She needed all new clothes. "I've gone up a whole bra size already!" she exclaimed from inside the changing room.

"Can I see?" he asked quietly.

"Tonight…I'll put on a fashion show for you, I promise," Melanie replied.

"All right…But I should warn you, I'm not very interested in watching you put the clothes _on_…I'd rather watch you take them off…"

"Shhh! People will hear you!" She stepped out of the changing room with a handful of clothes to buy. "I need to find some more," she declared before handing him the clothes and walking off. Robert looked down at the clothes and had one of his old fears return: He truly was Melanie's "purse boy" now.

She had trouble finding pants that worked for her, but managed to find a few she liked. She bought several colors to use for different outfits. She didn't need too many tops yet, as most of hers still fit, but she found a few nice ones to wear whenever they went out to dinner or somewhere nice. Robert watched as she stood in front of the mirror, admiring one of the tops. "I always thought empire waists made people look pregnant," she commented, turning to the side to see how the baby blue v-necked top looked on her. "But, when you are actually pregnant, it looks pretty good, I'd say."

Robert had no idea what empire waists were, but smiled and nodded his head anyway. "That top looks lovely on you, you should buy it." He liked the way the top hugged her breasts, accentuating them perfectly. And he could actually see her baby bump now.

By the end of the shopping trip, Melanie had purchased several new outfits she hoped would last her over the next several months. "And now we can buy clothes for the baby too," she said after putting the bags into the car. "You can buy all the boy stuff you want."

They drove to the Babies 'R' Us and Robert walked directly to the clothing section. "Should we get him sports-themed clothes or barn animals?" he asked, looking at some of the shirts.

"Why limit him? Get him a little bit of everything. That way we can help get him interested in all sorts of things," Melanie replied, picking up a shirt with rainbows and a smiling-faced sun on it. She was about to put it in the cart when Robert vetoed it. "What's wrong? Rainbows and a sun, it's beautiful," she said, frowning.

"It's too girly," Robert said. "I don't want our son to have girly stuff."

"Oh Robert, it's a new millennium, our son can be interested in anything he wants."

Robert frowned and set the shirt back on the rack. "I don't want to have an argument in the store," he said quietly. "I know what's right for a baby boy. I wouldn't question you if we were having a daughter…" He turned and continued to look at the clothes on the racks, leaving Melanie to think about what he'd said.

Melanie bit her lip and placed her hands on her hips. Was this how Robert was going to be about anything concerning their baby? Was he going to lay down the law and assert himself as the man and the head of the family? Maybe he just needed to adjust to the idea for a while and let his testosterone die down and he'd be fine again.

Robert tried to calm himself down. He felt bad for making Melanie feel upset in her condition, but he didn't know how else to get his point across. He was scared that his son would turn out to be a weakling, like _he'd_ been as a child. He didn't want his son to endure what he'd gone through while growing up. He could remember kids at school picking on him because of his height or how scrawny he'd been. But Melanie worshiped him so much, he couldn't tell her this and risk having her lose respect for him.

Melanie picked up a shirt with a duck on it, and walked over to him. "Is it ok to get him a duck shirt?" she asked meekly, looking at Robert pointedly. "I wanted to make sure to get your permission first…"

Robert frowned and grabbed the shirt. "Yes, it's fine," he replied quietly. "I'm sorry I treated you like that, I just want to make sure everything's perfect for our son. I know about boys more than you. I _was_ one. Everything he wears and is interested in will be judged by his friends. He'll get beat up at school if he likes rainbows and smiley-faced suns."

Melanie sighed and hugged Robert. "I know you want what's best for our baby, and I will trust your judgment when it comes to raising a boy. But, Robert, I'm still pregnant, he's not even in school yet…Let's cross that bridge when we get to it."

Robert kissed her cheek. "I know, but I just care about the little guy so much already, you know?" He picked up a pair of sweat pants with a frog on one of the knees. "Definitely need to get this one." He picked out several pieces of clothes with animals or trucks on them and set them into the cart. "I think that's enough for now, let's get some toys now."

Melanie wheeled the cart to the toy department and remained quiet as he picked out a stuffed lion doll, a remote control red Ferrari, a baseball bat, and a mobile with farm animals on them. He also got a set of wood blocks, a child's chemistry set, and a picture encyclopedia. "This is a great start," he declared proudly.

"What about stuff for when he's really young? Like a rattle and some smaller stuffed animals?" Melanie asked. "He's already got Wobby the stuffed dog, but he'll need some other toys too…"

Robert nodded his head and slipped two G.I. Joe toys into the cart. "I was thinking about that…How about this?" He picked up a soft, plush duck that he could imagine his son cuddling next to in his bassinette. It seemed like just the kind of toy that a newborn needed.

Melanie checked the tag to see that it was all right for newborns, and smiled in approval. "I think it's wonderful," she replied, setting the duck in the cart. She knew that was his apology for speaking to her the way he had, and she accepted it.

They finished shopping without any more outbursts or arguments, and had enough clothes to last them a long time. When they got home, they sat Ava and Peggy down to tell them the news about the baby.

Robert handed them the new pictures and the mothers were quite excited to see them. "Oh, it's so much clearer now," Ava said, "You can see the head and the nose, oh and a little hand!" She took a closer look and smiled. "The baby has Melanie's nose," she declared triumphantly.

Peggy frowned and took the picture out of Ava's hands. She looked closer too before agreeing. "I suppose you're right," she said grudgingly before holding the picture closer to her face to see something on it. "Well, the baby has _something_ of Robert's at least," she said with a cackle, pointing further down on the picture. "So I'm going to have a grandson finally?"

Robert grinned and nodded his head. "I'm glad you approve," he said as Peggy hugged him and Ava kissed Melanie's cheek.

The proud grandmothers-to-be promptly attacked the bags of toys and clothes and cooed and cried out in approval over everything. "He's a little young yet for a chemistry set, but he'll grow into it," Ava said.

Robert moved into the study to work for a while, and Melanie washed the baby clothes. When the washer was running, she sat down in a kitchen chair, propping her feet up as the mothers prepared dinner.

"Robby loves my pork chops," Peggy said with a smile. "I'll make sure to write out the recipe for you. The key is plenty of Marsala wine, and bacon."

Melanie nodded her head and smiled, but as the smell of the cooking bacon reached her, she turned green, clapped a hand to her mouth, and ran for the nearest bathroom. She barely made it in time to be sick.

Ava came in to wipe her forehead with a cool washcloth. "Poor thing," she murmured. "I remember things smelling really strong when I was pregnant with your brother. It should get better in time."

Melanie was unable to go back into the kitchen until the bacon smell was gone, so her mother finished the laundry for her and sent her up to the bedroom to rest her feet. Robert joined her soon afterwards, and lay down on the bed next to her. "You feeling ok?" he asked. "My mother told me what happened." He reached out and grabbed her hand.

Melanie closed her eyes and breathed deeply for a minute before responding. "I just can't handle the smell of bacon anymore." She shuddered and opened her eyes again. "I'm sorry, but I think you'll need to eat dinner downstairs without me. Maybe my mom can bring me some soup and crackers when you're all done. I'm not that hungry anyway."

"What kind of soup would you like?" Robert asked, pulling her towards him and helping her settle in against his chest.

"Tomato, and Saltine crackers," Melanie replied, slipping her hand under his shirt and running her fingers through his chest hair. "That always helps me feel better when I'm sick."

"All right," Robert replied quietly. "I'll tell her that, and I'll get you some ginger ale too. I think you should stay here the rest of the day. You've had a very long, busy, exciting day. When you're done eating, I'll help you with a nice, cool bath. That'll help too, I think."

When dinner was ready, Robert kissed Melanie on the cheek and went downstairs to eat with the mothers. The pork chops really were the best in the world. His mother always made rice pilaf with it, his favorite side dish of all time. He might have some issues with his mother, but her pork chops was not one of them.

While they ate, Ava peppered him with questions about his schooling and career. He hadn't had a chance to get to know her very well yet, and he knew she must be anxious to make sure that her daughter was marrying a trustworthy and accomplished man. He told her about graduating top of his class in medical school, and all about the studies he'd participated in while in Europe and at County. He made sure to tell her how many articles he'd had published in medical journals over the years as well. Ava seemed quite impressed with his success, which made Robert feel more secure of her approval.

He also made sure to ask Ava about herself as well. Ava was a librarian at the high school her children had attended. She was a three-time champion pie baker for the Oregon State Fair; her specialty was the mixed-berry category. And she enjoyed knitting hats to give to charities that distributed them to sick children around the world.

Robert decided that Ava was much more maternal than his mother was. The only pie his mother would be able to bake was a wine pie, if she could figure out how to make one. Sure she made good pork chops, but that was just about the only thing she could cook.

Ava had never remarried after her husband's death, and he thought, based on the way she talked about him, that it wasn't because she was truly content to be alone, but because she was afraid to love again. He thought that was a shame, because she was a lovely person, and would make one man very lucky indeed. Robert wasn't much for match-making, but he decided he'd keep his eye out for her.

When dinner was over, Ava prepared Melanie's soup and crackers and carried it upstairs while Robert followed behind. "I'll help her once you get the tray settled," he said as they walked into the room. He smiled when he saw Melanie asleep on top of the bed covers. Ava set the tray down next to her and left Robert to wake her. "Dinnertime, babygirl," he said while reaching out to caress her cheek. When she stirred, he sat down next to her. "I have your soup, would you like me to feed you?"

Melanie sat up and yawned. "I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep," she said while picking up the bowl and beginning to eat. "Was your meal good?"

"Very," Robert replied. "I took the time to talk to your mom. She's a very nice person." Melanie smiled and nodded her head. "Do you know why she never remarried after your dad passed away?"

Melanie frowned and shook her head. "She's never talked about it, and I never felt comfortable asking her about it. She seems happy enough…"

Robert wanted to ask her more, but he could tell this was a touchy subject for her, and didn't press her for more information. He could always go to the source if he really wanted to know the answer.

Robert changed the subject to something less upsetting while Melanie finished her dinner. "So, how much do you think the baby will weigh when he's born?" He sat back as she launched into a mathematical equation and explanation of average birth weights before stopping herself.

"Wait, how much did you weigh when you were born?" she asked in between bites of her crackers.

"Seven pounds, six ounces," he replied. "What about you?"

"Five pounds, twelve ounces…Let me calculate the average and then I'll work that into my equation." She was silent for a little while before announcing: "My official prediction is six pounds, seven ounces."

Robert nodded in approval. "I'm going to guess seven pounds, one ounce," he replied. "That's a good number, I think."

"I'll be huge if he's _that_ big!"

"You'll lose the weight quickly, especially since you plan on breast-feeding," Robert said. They'd already had plenty of long discussions about child-rearing and he knew her opinions on formula versus breast milk, as well as cloth diapers versus disposable diapers. She still hadn't made up her mind on processed baby food versus homemade, but he knew she'd make sure to tell him the moment she did.

"I know, but I still don't want to get fat," she replied.

Robert didn't want to continue discussing her weight, knowing it was a very dangerous subject, so he changed the topic yet again. "So…your birthday is in less than a month. What would you like to do to celebrate?"

Melanie furrowed her brow and set her soup bowl down. "I hadn't even thought about it yet," she replied. "I guess the baby's taking over my whole life…We don't need to do much. I mean, twenty seven isn't exactly a milestone year."

Robert tried not to think about the age gap, and smiled. "I think you deserve something special. This will be your last birthday as a non-parent; you should commemorate it."

"How?"

Robert thought about it for a moment. "You can still fly, right? And by your birthday, you'll have just finished your Pedes rotation, so you'll have a few days off before starting your next rotation…Why don't you do something really big? Have you ever been to Vegas?"

Melanie blanched and shook her head. "You really want me to go to Vegas?"

"Why not? See if Susan or Elizabeth wants to go and have a girls' weekend out. Hell, see if they both want to go."

"But who would take care of Ella if Elizabeth went?"

"Me…I do need the practice after all. And besides, our mothers will be here to help."

"Have you lost your mind? This is so unlike you." She reached out and felt his forehead to see if he had a fever.

"I have been known to be spontaneous and generous before. Think of it as a bachelorette party for when we find a time to get married…"

Melanie thought about it for a minute before nodding her head. "It'll be quite an adventure, I'm sure. For both of us…"

"We've taken care of Ella before, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Yeah, it'll be just fine…"

"I'll go call Elizabeth and Susan for you, and then I can make all the plans. You won't have to lift a finger for anything."

Melanie watched as Robert left the room to return to his study. What was coming over him? Normally he wouldn't have permitted her to go to a place as notorious as Las Vegas without him, but maybe with the other two there he felt that she'd be sufficiently protected. And willingly volunteering to babysit for a whole weekend? Apparently he really was taking parenting seriously.

Robert returned a short time later to help her with a bath. "Both Susan and Elizabeth love the idea," he said while testing the water's temperature. He knew she wasn't supposed to take hot baths. He held her hand as she stepped into the tub. "Elizabeth sounded amused that I was willing to take care of Ella, and actually agreed to it. She felt better knowing our mothers will be there to help out." He proceeded to bathe Melanie in spite of her protests that she could do it herself. "This is good for me to do, getting used to doing things with one arm. Even when I get a prosthetic, I won't be able to use it all the time."

Melanie grabbed his hand and kissed the palm. "Well, you're doing a great job so far," she said, letting go of his hand so he could wash her hair. "So, what sorts of things are there to do in Vegas? Besides gambling?"

"Well, there are shows, and restaurants, and all sorts of things. You'll see when you get there."

"They have lots of buffets there, don't they?"

"That's what I've heard…At the casinos. Usually they're pretty inexpensive. Why, do you plan on checking them out?"

"I've never eaten at a buffet before; it might be fun."

Robert helped her lean back and began to pour water over her hair to wash out the shampoo. "Well, you'll just have to see what there is to do there, and do anything you want," he said before sitting her back up again and putting shower gel on a washcloth. He began to gently wash her body. "Your skin is so soft," he commented at one point. He abandoned his task for a few minutes as he pressed his lips to hers, enjoying the feel of Melanie wrapping a wet arm around his neck to hold him against herself.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us to Vegas?" Melanie asked when they broke their kiss and Robert started scrubbing her back. "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"It's only three days."

"That's longer than we've ever been apart since we met."

Robert hadn't realized how inseparable they'd become. It felt so natural to be around her that he hadn't thought about it. "Maybe a few days apart will be good for us. You know, help remind us why we like being together so much."

"I suppose so," Melanie replied. "I need to get a camera so I can take tons of pictures to share with you."

"Maybe I'll get you one as a birthday present."

"But will you really be all right with it? I mean, this would be our first Fourth of July together…"

"I'm not very sentimental when it comes to holidays, so I think I'll live. But if you like, I can make sure to do something with Ella. Maybe we could go to the zoo or go to the lake to watch fireworks."

"That would be nice," Melanie said as Robert helped her out of the tub. "You can take our mothers too."

As Robert helped Melanie dry off and get into her nightgown, he thought about his motive for sending her away for a long weekend. He'd been secretly reading up on childrearing while in his office. Melanie thought he was researching things for papers, but in truth, he'd been reading anything he could find about taking care of children. Now he needed to test it out on a real child. He was terrified of taking care of their baby, but he could never let Melanie know that. He had to appear fearless and enthusiastic at all times so he wouldn't frighten her. But there was so much he was concerned about. How could he really take care of a child with only one arm? How could he change a diaper or open a jar of baby food or burp him when he was finished eating? Would a prosthetic arm allow him to do that? He hoped so, for he knew he'd always have to deal with scrutiny from people who questioned his ability to care for his son due to his handicap. He had to prove to himself that he could do it, because at times, he would have to care for his son while Melanie was at work. It was a daunting thought.

When Melanie had finished brushing her teeth, Robert helped get her tucked into bed. She tried to get settled on her back, but found it uncomfortable and turned onto her side. "Is everything all right?" he asked.

Melanie frowned and shook her head. "Would you please get me a couple of Tums? That soup gave me heartburn…"

Robert hurried into the bathroom and found the medicine for her. She took it gratefully from his hand. "Thanks…I guess I've entered the heartburn phase of the pregnancy."

Robert leaned down and placed his face close to Melanie's stomach. "All right, baby," he said to her belly, "this is your daddy talking to you. I am ordering you to leave your mommy's tummy alone, so, no more heartburn." With that, he stood up and smiled at Melanie. "That should take care of it," he declared.

"Thank you," Melanie said with a yawn. "What time is it?"

Robert glanced at the alarm clock on the end table. "A quarter to nine," he replied.

"I can't believe I'm so tired already," she murmured before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

Robert kissed her forehead before turning the light off and leaving the room. After the mothers left for the night, he spent the rest of the evening in his study, researching.

(SCENE)

The next month passed slowly as Melanie continued to endure her Pedes rotation. It wasn't always unbearable, though. There were several patients who had quite treatable illnesses that she cared for in the Pedes clinic. Dr. Chapman, her resident, began to assign her to the clinic more often since she was doing much better there, which made her rotation much more enjoyable. She learned how to calm down upset children, and how to use smaller equipment for their smaller bodies.

The clinic days were rather fun, though Melanie noticed she ended up getting two colds, something she hadn't had to deal with in quite a while. Having a cold while pregnant was miserable. She was already uncomfortable, adding sneezing and a runny nose to that just made it several times worse. Fortunately the colds were short-lived and by the time her rotation ended, she was better.

"I'm glad you're healthy again," Susan said the day before they left for Las Vegas. Susan, Melanie, and Elizabeth were eating lunch at Doc Magoo's and making plans for the trip. "It would have been such a drag if you were stuck in bed the whole time."

"What do you want to do most?" Elizabeth asked as she ate a chicken-salad sandwich. Eddie Dorset walked into the restaurant and caught her eye. She waved to him, smiling demurely.

"I looked on-line, and there are some really neat museums I'd like to check out," Melanie replied before noticing Dorset walking towards them. She rolled her eyes as he approached their table.

"Hello ladies, how are you today?" he asked, flashing them his signature smile.

"Oh, we're all wonderful," Elizabeth replied, her eyes sparkling. "We're just making plans for our big weekend adventure."

"What sort of adventure?" Dorset sat down next to Elizabeth.

"We're going to spend a few days in Las Vegas, courtesy of Melanie's fiancé."

Dorset glanced at Melanie. "It must be nice marrying into money," he commented before turning his attention back to Elizabeth. They were soon engaged in a deep conversation about Vegas and things to do there.

Susan and Melanie exchanged a knowing glance and Melanie rolled her eyes again. Dorset was such a smarmy guy; she couldn't figure out why anybody would be interested in him. "What do _you_ want to do?" she asked Susan. They started making their own plans.

That night, Melanie packed for the trip, making Robert check on-line for the latest flying restrictions and rules. "I don't want to take anything I shouldn't and cause a problem!" she cried.

After an hour of packing, she was confident that she had everything she needed. Robert had insisted she take a jacket for nighttime, even though it was July. "This is the desert, it gets cold after dark!" She'd packed several changes of clothes, including her favorite sandals and sundress, a pair of maternity jeans, and a bikini in case she felt like going swimming. She also packed a few text books and pleasure-reading books for relaxing.

Robert gave her his birthday present early so she could take it with her. He'd bought her a camera, plenty of batteries, and a few photo cards to hold all her shots. "I want to see all the fun stuff you end up doing," he said before kissing her.

Thursday, Melanie finished with her Pedes rotation and was very ready for her Vegas adventure. After their shifts ended, the three women drove Elizabeth's car to pick up Ella from the nanny. When they arrived at Robert's house, they all went inside. Melanie and Susan went upstairs to get her bags as Elizabeth got Ella settled in with Robert and the mothers.

"I've been talking to Ella about this for a couple weeks now, so she should be ready for this," Elizabeth told Robert. "Ella, are you ready for your fun weekend with Robert?"

Ella buried her face in her mother's pant leg and acted shy for a minute until Robert knelt down next to her. "Ella, I was going to have hotdogs for dinner tonight, would you like some too?"

Ella peaked out at Robert and nodded her head.

"And I have a special bed just for you in our guest room, would you like to sleep in it?" He and Melanie had purchased a child-sized air mattress and had set up the baby's room with toys Ella might like for her visit.

Elizabeth picked Ella up and hugged her tightly. "Mummy loves you very much, Ella, and I'll see you in just a few days." She kissed Ella's cheek as Robert stood up and Melanie and Susan reentered the room, bags in their hands.

Elizabeth held Ella out to Robert, who took the child in his good arm. Ella held onto him tightly as they all walked out onto the front porch. Robert kissed Melanie and smiled at her. "I'll see you on Monday," he said lightly. "You have a great time."

Both Ella and Melanie began to cry. Elizabeth looked conflicted, not wanting to leave her daughter when she was so upset. Robert took charge of the situation, motioning for Susan to take hold of Melanie and walk with her to the car. "I'm going to take Ella inside; she'll stop crying in a couple minutes. Don't worry." Elizabeth watched as he and Ella went back into the house, shutting the door behind him. A few moments later, she pulled herself together and walked to the car to join the others. Melanie had calmed down by that time.

Just as predicted, Ella stopped crying as soon as the car drove off. "Want hotdogs, Wobby," she demanded before walking towards the kitchen. Robert was glad his research was proving helpful already. It was going to be an interesting weekend.

(SCENE)

Melanie got a taste for how the weekend was going to go when they boarded the plane and the first thing Elizabeth and Susan did was order drinks. They were talking and laughing loudly when a man approached them and started talking to Susan. His name was Chuck, he was a flight nurse from Chicago, and was going to be in Vegas the same time as they were. Susan seemed quite smitten with him, and Melanie and Elizabeth left her alone to talk with him.

"So…you and Dr. Dorset seem to be getting pretty chummy," Melanie noted as she and Elizabeth looked out the window at the changing terrain far below.

Elizabeth blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know…He's very friendly, that's all," she replied defensively.

"Well, if you like him, maybe you should ask him out," Melanie suggested, even though she'd never wish Dorset upon Elizabeth if she could help it. "Do you feel ready to start dating again?"

Elizabeth was silent for a minute as she thought about it. Mark had been dead for a little over a year now. Was that enough time to mourn and honor his life before moving on with hers? "It's only been a year…" she said quietly.

"A lot can happen in a year," Melanie replied knowingly, looking down at her swelling stomach. "There are no rules about how long you have to mourn; it's just whatever's right for you."

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. "We'll see," she replied.

When the plane finally arrived a few hours later in Las Vegas, Melanie was quite ready to stretch her legs, and needed a restroom badly. She hadn't been brave enough to use the one on the plane.

Chuck and Susan stood next to each other while waiting for their luggage, and Elizabeth gathered both hers and Melanie's while Melanie hurried to the restroom.

It was dark outside and well past dinnertime when they made it out of the airport. Chuck insisted on treating them to their first meal on the Strip and hailed a taxi for them all. Melanie wasn't entirely trustful of him; they'd only just met him, after all. What if he was a serial killer? Robert most definitely wouldn't approve.

Fortunately, Chuck took them to Aureole, a very expensive restaurant at Mandalay Bay, connected to their hotel, so they weren't far from their final destination. The food was as amazing as the atmosphere, and once again she felt out of her element in such a high-class environment. Chuck, Elizabeth, and Susan ordered drinks while Melanie drank lemonade. The food was absolutely amazing; everybody raved about it. They were all thoroughly satisfied by the time they were done.

When the meal was over, they said their farewells to Chuck and went to the hotel to check in. Robert had reserved a three bedroom suite at the Four Seasons for them. All three women were completely in awe when they walked into the lobby and looked around. Everything was ornate and grand, yet the colors were warm and inviting. And when they got into the suite, they immediately felt at home, in spite of the grandeur.

Every window looked out onto the sprawling Las Vegas Strip, and couches lined the windows. Each bedroom had a queen-size bed, and the Master bedroom had its own bathroom. It was decided that Melanie would have that room, seeing as it was her fiancé financing the trip, as well as the fact that she needed more immediate access to a restroom than the other two did.

Elizabeth had a moment of realization that this was the life she might have had with Robert if she'd said yes to him so long ago. He clearly enjoyed lavishing his loved ones in riches. Melanie was in for a good life with him, and so was their son. But she brushed those thoughts aside as she put her bags in her room and changed into fresh clothes.

"Have you ever seen such an amazing place?" Susan asked as they explored the suite. "I cannot believe Robert put us up here…Melanie, you need to marry him the day you get back, I'm telling you…"

"We're still trying to figure out a date," Melanie replied with a laugh. "The only thing I insisted on is that we're married before the baby is born."

Elizabeth snapped herself out of her thoughts and smiled. "I was about seven months pregnant when Mark and I got married. I had to take the dress out more and more." She sighed and shook her head at the memory.

Melanie bit her lip and glanced out the window to look at all the bright lights. "I don't have a dress yet…" she said, wondering if she'd ever be ready for her wedding. The bags in her hands were heavy, so she went to her room to drop them off.

After freshening up and slipping into her jacket, she returned to the living room where Susan and Elizabeth were talking. "So, what should we do first?" she asked curiously.

They decided that going to a casino was a must for their first night in Vegas. Melanie wasn't too sure about it, because she'd read that most casinos were smoker-friendly. In the end, she decided a few minutes inside one wouldn't hurt too much, and she could try out the slot machines a few times before making her escape. She grabbed her purse, slipped her camera into it, as well as her wallet, room key, and a roll of quarters for the machines.

The three women walked back to Mandalay Bay to check out the casino. Both Susan and Elizabeth looked eager to run off and try everything out, but Melanie insisted on one of them taking a few pictures of her trying out the old-fashioned slot machines to show Robert.

Susan took the camera and Melanie walked to a machine, pulled some quarters out of her purse, and slipped them into the machine. She turned to look at the camera and smiled while pulling the lever. Susan snapped the pictures. Melanie turned and watched as the pictures twirled around and began to slow down. Three clusters of cherries lined up with each other. "Oh!" she cried, pointing to the machine as it lit up and began to chime. Tokens began to spit out of the bottom and she tried to catch them with her hands. Susan snapped another picture and laughed while Elizabeth rushed over to help out. Tokens fell out of their hands and soon their feet were buried in them.

Susan kept taking pictures until the machine stopped spitting out tokens. "Hold on, I'll go grab a bucket," she said before leaving the other two alone.

"Well, this was lucky of you!" Elizabeth said wondrously. "What are the odds of hitting the jackpot on the first try?"

Melanie rubbed her belly for a moment and smiled. "I have a knack for it," she replied.

Elizabeth looked at her strangely before her eyebrows rose. "Did you—" but she was cut off when Susan returned with a bucket. They bent down and started filling the bucket with tokens. After a minute, they presented Melanie with a full bucket.

"Thanks!" she exclaimed, dropping the last of the tokens in her hand on the top. They walked around for a few minutes before the smoke began to irritate Melanie. "I'd better go," she said. She stopped walking and looked around for where she was supposed to go to exchange her tokens into money. When she spotted it, she pointed it out, and suddenly winced in pain, bending over and clutching at her stomach.

"Are you all right?" Susan cried, rushing over to her as Elizabeth grabbed her elbow to keep her steady.

Melanie groaned and stood up slowly. "He kicked me, I think," she replied, rubbing her ribcage. "He knocked the wind out of me."

"Oh you poor thing," Elizabeth said, reaching out and placing her hand on Melanie's stomach to feel the baby. "He's really active right now. I can feel him!"

Susan placed her hand on the other side and grinned. "I can feel him too! He's just rolling around in there!"

Melanie caught her breath and laughed to see what a spectacle they made, standing in a circle in the middle of an aisle. "Well, I think that's my cue to get out of here. I'm going to exchange my tokens and then I'll see what's going on outside. Good luck in here!"

Susan and Elizabeth made her promise to call them when she made it back to the hotel before running off the play the games. Melanie cashed in the tokens and walked away with $75 in her wallet and a huge smile on her face. Not bad for a fifty cent investment.

As she walked down the street, she stopped and listened to a few street performers and gave them a couple dollars each. She did her best to ignore the women on the streets who were obviously prostitutes, though she did wonder how much money they made in one night.

A few blocks away from the hotel, she saw a few shops that were still open and perused them for a few items she'd forgotten to bring with her from home. She bought a straw hat to keep the sun off her face, as well as a bottle of sun screen. In one of the shops, there were blank notebooks, and she found one with a picture of Van Gaugh's Starry Night on the front cover. She was hit with inspiration, and bought it, deciding to write a journal for her son to read when he was older. She'd write about what it felt like to be pregnant with him, and share her thoughts and feelings with him.

By the time she was done shopping, she was hungry again and found a diner that was open. She ordered cheese fries, a pickle, and a slice of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. It was one of the best meals she'd had in a long time.

It was nearly two in the morning by the time she returned to her hotel, and her feet felt like they were going to fall off. She took a soothing shower before falling into the soft bed. She barely managed to text Susan before falling asleep.

The next morning, Melanie woke up around ten in the morning and dressed for the day. Neither Susan nor Elizabeth was awake and she was starving, so she texted Elizabeth before heading down to the Verandah to see what they had to eat. She'd heard rumors of a breakfast buffet, and was not disappointed. Before entering the restaurant, she snapped a picture of her first-ever buffet.

There was every kind of breakfast food imaginable in the room. Trays, platters and hot plates full of delicious things lined every surface as far as the eye could see. Melanie picked up a plate, and didn't know where to begin, but wandered around for a few minutes before arriving at the omelet station.

There was a cook at the station who made omelets to order, and Melanie was fascinated as she watched while he made her omelet. She thought it looked beautiful as he folded mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes into it. He topped it with green onions and cheddar cheese and handed her the plate with a smile. She thanked him before wandering off to add roasted potatoes to the plate.

She filled a second plate with fruit salad, and a couple slices of French toast before finding a seat. She ordered orange juice from a server before digging in. Everything was delicious, and she made sure to take a picture of it before she started.

Once she'd finished her plates of food, she contemplated going back for more, and filled one last plate with more fruit, Sourdough toast, a pickle, and in a fit of either inspiration or pregnancy craving, covered the entire thing in cheese sauce. She hadn't had too many strange food cravings so far in the pregnancy, but every once in a while something would hit her and the craving was unbearable.

The first food craving she'd had was two months into her pregnancy, and she had to have chocolate ice cream with yellow Thai curry sauce and tartar sauce. The look of horror on Robert's face while she ate it had been priceless. And then there had been the peanut butter and Hollandaise sauce sandwich she'd made the next month, but it had been quite some time since she'd craved weird foods. She decided honeydew melon and cheese sauce was one of the tastiest combinations yet.

There was no more room for anything after that last plate of food, so when she was finished, she slowly walked back to her room. She had to walk through the lobby to get to the elevators, and was startled to hear somebody calling her name. Upon turning to see who it was, her stomach dropped to see Eddie Dorset walking towards her. What was _he_ doing here?

"Hey, Melanie, your fiancé sure put you up in a nice place…" Dorset said in greeting.

"He likes to spoil me," Melanie replied.

"He's probably scared of losing you, that's why."

"Well, he shouldn't be. I have no intention of leaving Robert." She attempted to cross her arms, but her stomach got in the way, so she put her hands on her hips instead.

Dorset grinned and checked her out. "Yeah, I mean, a sweet, young, MILF-to-be like you, he's probably terrified that some handsome, _younger_ man will swoop in and steal you away…" He stopped talking to stare at her breasts for a few moments before whistling quietly. "He _should_ be afraid…"

Melanie sighed and shook her head. "Well, what brings you down here? I'm starting to think everybody in Chicago is here this weekend," she said, changing the subject.

"I thought I'd surprise Elizabeth," Dorset replied with a cheesy grin. "Do you know what room she's in? The people at the front desk won't tell me."

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, I'm not sure either. Maybe you should call her. Do you have her number?" She wasn't going to make it easy for him.

"Yeah, it just won't be as much fun doing it that way."

"Aww, that's too bad," Melanie replied with a frown. "Well, I'd better be going. See you around, maybe." She turned and walked to the elevator and rode up to her floor.

After letting herself into the room and shutting the door, she was startled to find Chuck and Susan in matching robes sitting on the couch, making out. "Good morning!" she called out loudly, startling them.

"Oh, Melanie…Look who I ran into again last night!" Susan said awkwardly.

"Good morning, Chuck," Melanie replied with a polite smile. "Is Elizabeth up yet?"

"I think so, I heard her in the shower a little while ago," Susan replied.

"Ah, well, she's going to be getting a call soon…Anyway, I'm going to get ready and then I'll be off for the day. Big things planned."

"What are you going to do?" Susan asked.

"I was going to see all the animal exhibits and maybe check out one of the shows later on. I'm going to start with the shark reef at the Mandalay. What are you going to do?"

Susan and Chuck grinned at each other before she responded. "Oh, we'll probably check out some of the lounges and casinos. I ended up making $50 last night! And Elizabeth made $100! We're all doing pretty good so far."

Elizabeth finally emerged from her bedroom, dressed for the day, but looking quite hung-over in Melanie's opinion. Not a fun way to start the day. "Morning," she said quietly as Elizabeth sat down gingerly on one of the couches. "You look like you had fun last night…"

Elizabeth slipped on a pair of sunglasses and nodded her head. "It was a great night," she confirmed just as her cell phone rang. "Whose number is that?" she murmured before answering it.

Melanie made a hasty escape from the room and went out through a side door to avoid the lobby. It was scorching hot outside, and she was glad she'd bought the sunscreen and hat the night before. She stopped at a convenience store and bought a bottle of water before setting off on her quest to see animals.

She was surprised at how much there was to see. The shark reef was unbelievable, and the wildlife habitat with all the flamingos was fun. She decided flamingos were the best birds in the world, even if they did smell bad. The highlight, though, was the Siegfried and Roy Dolphin Encounter and Secret Garden. There were all sorts of animals on display besides the dolphins. The lions and tigers were amazing, and she ended up spending a couple hours there. After getting her fill of looking at the animals, she settled in under a under a palm tree on the grounds, and pulled out the notebook. She took the time to write in it, telling the baby all about her adventures in Vegas and all about how she met Robert.

"I wonder, baby," she wrote, "will you like lions or tigers most? Will you be a doctor like your parents or something entirely different? I cannot wait to meet you and start learning all about you."

By the time she'd finished up with the animals, she was starving. She found a burger joint and feasted on a double mushroom Swiss veggie burger and garlic fries. She left feeling most contented and full.

She had her pick of shows to go to that afternoon, and settled on the Cirque du Soleil which turned out to be fascinating. She wondered if she would be capable of such acrobatics if she ever tried, but figured it wouldn't be possible in her present condition.

Next up was a Penn and Teller magic show which Melanie thought was really funny, and even though she knew it was all slight-of-hand, she had no idea how they did their tricks. When the show ended, she bought a dvd to take home to Robert so he could see what she'd seen.

Melanie was exhausted and decided against a late night, but did go see a movie after dinner. She saw the latest Disney film, Pirates of the Caribbean, and by the time it was over, she couldn't decide who she loved more: Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom. Neither of them really held a candle to Robert, of course, but there was just something so fun about Captain Jack Sparrow that she decided she'd sail off with him any day, assuming they ever met.

When she'd returned to her room, her ankles and feet were swollen and her back was killing her. The couches looked very inviting, and she propped her feet up on the pillows. She had just turned on the TV when Elizabeth's bedroom door opened up. Eddie Dorset walked out, and was buttoning up his shirt when they spotted each other. Melanie scowled as he swaggered over to her. "So, I see you managed to find your room all right," he said sarcastically in greeting.

Melanie was about to respond when Elizabeth walked into the room. "Hello, Melanie, have a good day?" she asked with a smile while fluffing her curly hair with her hands. "We were just going to head out to one of the clubs; did you want to join us?"

"Thanks, but I think I'm done for the day. I did a ton of stuff today, but thanks for the offer," Melanie replied.

Both Eddie and Elizabeth looked relieved to hear this, and left a few minutes later. They ran into Chuck and Susan at the door. "Oh, what a day!" Susan exclaimed as she sat down on the couch across from Melanie. "I just need to rest for a while before we head out again. Did you have a good day?"

Melanie filled her in on her exciting day and Susan nodded. "That sounds great! Chuck and I will try to see some of the shows tomorrow before the fireworks. I think we should all go to dinner together for your birthday and then go see the fireworks for the holiday."

"I love that idea," Melanie replied. "I'm doing shopping tomorrow, but I'll plan it around that."

Susan and Chuck left shortly after that, leaving Melanie blissfully alone again. When her feet stopped throbbing, she got up and prepared for bed. The last thing she did before falling asleep was write another journal entry to her son.

(SCENE)

The Fourth of July began like the third of July had, only this time, Melanie had pancakes with her omelet instead of French toast. Plus, it was her birthday. Her body was still sore from all the exertion of the previous day, so she was careful to go more slowly and rest more often while shopping.

She bought souvenirs for Robert and the mothers, as well as some clothes for the baby. The majority of the day, though, was spent shopping for clothes for herself. Robert had mentioned sexy maternity lingerie, and it turned out that there was such a thing. She had to go into a couple risqué stores to find any, but he knew he would love what she'd bought. She also bought clothes for when she managed to get her pre-pregnancy body back. Nice clothes she could wear to parties with Robert or on interviews, like she'd be dealing with in a couple years.

That evening, as promised, everybody met at Spago for dinner. The food was great, and Melanie enjoyed hearing about Susan and Elizabeth's adventures over the last couple days. Elizabeth had made $200 so far, but Susan had lost what she'd made on Friday. Both had managed to consume copious amounts of alcohol as well, and were quite enjoying it.

After dinner, the group walked back to Mandalay Bay to find a good spot to watch the fireworks. Melanie loved fireworks, and got her camera ready to take lots of pictures for Robert. They were amazing, like the ones she'd seen in Disneyland the time her family had gone there on vacation when she was a child. They were loud, and apparently they startled the baby, because she felt him jump inside her after a very loud segment ended.

Melanie rubbed her belly and smiled. "It's ok, baby, it's just fireworks," she tried to reassure him. Susan looked at her and grinned, reaching out to pat her stomach too. After the baby calmed down, and she could concentrate again, Melanie took lots of pictures of the fireworks before realizing that there was a video function on the camera. She recorded the rest of the show for Robert.

The fireworks ended in a spectacularly loud finale that made the baby jump again. "How's the baby?" Elizabeth asked as they stood around trying to figure out what to do next.

"He got scared," Melanie replied, petting her stomach. "He jumped two times during the loud parts."

"Isn't it just adorable when they do that?"

"It feels so funny!" Melanie sighed and shook her head. "All this baby stuff is so much fun," she said.

The group decided to go out to a club, and Melanie joined them. They went to the Foundation Room at Mandalay, a nightclub that played live music. Melanie danced with Elizabeth and Susan, and drank virgin margaritas and had the time of her life.

It was two in the morning by the time they called it quits for the night. Susan and Elizabeth wanted to go to a strip club, but Melanie was too exhausted for that and returned to her room alone while they went off on their own, having sent their dates back to their own hotels.

The next morning, Melanie was so exhausted and sore she ordered room service and stayed in bed for some time trying to regain her strength. During that time, she read the pamphlets on what the hotel had to offer in the way of spa services and decided to treat herself to a spa day for her last day in Vegas.

When she could move around again, she got dressed and went down to the lobby to ask about the spa. There were all sorts of services they offered, including a special massage session for pregnant women, which sounded heavenly right then. She went down to the spa and signed up for a massage, a manicure, and a pedicure.

She texted Susan and Elizabeth and invited them to join her whenever they woke up, telling them her intentions to go to tea on the Verandah when she was done, but only Elizabeth replied. She joined Melanie a short time later, and the two of them were pampered all afternoon long.

"So…you hooked up with Dr. Dorset," Melanie said quietly as they were getting their feet scrubbed and their toes painted. "How is he?"

Elizabeth turned crimson and looked at her, smiling shyly. "Uh…he's great, I suppose," she replied. "I can't believe he showed up here, but he's very persuasive. I quite enjoy spending time with him."

"He seems like he enjoys living life to the fullest. Maybe that's what you need in your life right now…"

"Maybe…" Elizabeth replied in a murmur. "I seem to have enjoyed my time with him to the fullest this weekend. He is quite good…" She laughed quietly as Melanie looked at her incredulously. "What, are you shocked at how quickly we got together? I figure I've earned some fun after what I've been through. I'm going to take what life throws at me and enjoy the hell out of it when I can." She looked carefully at Melanie for a minute before continuing. "Well, how long did you and Robert wait to…you know…seal the deal?"

Melanie smiled and blushed. "Our first time was Christmas night," she confessed quietly. "It was so lovely…" She sighed at the happy, romantic memory. "Robert is such a wonderful man."

"That was quite a while after you met him…I'm surprised he managed to wait so long. He really does love you," Elizabeth replied. "I never had a chance to tell you after Robert's operation, but I think it's so unfair of Kerry to make you repeat your ER and surgical rotations. It's just a shame since I know you and he are so much in love. But, I suppose you'll get through it."

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have any other choice," she replied. "It'll be all right. She held out her hands as the person working on her feet began to work on her manicure. They sat in silence for a while, relaxing in their chairs and enjoying being pampered. "I wonder where Susan is," she finally said as they stood up to walk to the massage tables.

"She and Chuck seem fused at the hip this weekend," Elizabeth replied.

"Well, she deserves some happiness, putting up with running the ER," Melanie replied as she lay down on the table. "Whatever they're up to, maybe they'll take it back to Chicago with them and keep it up there too."

"Who knows…?" Neither woman spoke again until their massages were complete.

Melanie felt incredibly relaxed and comfortable in her own body again after the massage. They had used special techniques and focused on certain muscles that were always getting sore due to the pregnancy. Her back was sore from having to sleep on her side all the time, and now it felt much better. Her feet, which had been causing her problems all weekend, now felt completely revived. "Oh, I should get one of these each week," she said while sitting up and slipping back into her robe.

When they had completed their spa afternoon, the two walked arm-in-arm to the Verandah for tea. They dined on finger sandwiches and biscuits, and sipped tea—earl gray for Elizabeth, and herbal for Melanie. "Oh, this is the life," Melanie commented as they looked around. "I wish I could do this all the time."

"It really has been an amazing weekend," Elizabeth replied with a grin. "You'll have to make sure to thank Robert when you get back…"

"Oh, I intend to…" Melanie wriggled her eyebrows and winked. "I hope he's had a good weekend too. He wants to prove himself as a good father so badly. I'm sure he had a great time with Ella."

Elizabeth sighed and looked wistful. "I miss my daughter," she murmured. "I bought her five t-shirts this weekend. I can't wait to get back to her tomorrow and just scoop her up in my arms."

"She is so adorable, and Robert does so well with her. I'm sure she's had a wonderful weekend too."

The conversation turned to children and babies, and Elizabeth told Melanie all about her experience giving birth. "I'm taking my OB rotation next, so getting some insight is a good idea," Melanie said.

They continued to talk about babies as they walked up to their room after tea. "I can't decide yet if I want to have an epidural or not, and I haven't decided about circumcision either," Melanie said before sighing. "There's just so much to figure out, and I don't have much time left."

"Well, have you discussed this with Robert? He does have a say in some of it too," Elizabeth replied sensibly as they settled in onto couches.

"I need to. I need to see what he thinks about circumcision, because I don't know that I want it. I just can't stomach the thought of cutting anything off my baby…That's the one thing that's really nice about having daughters; you don't have to worry about that."

"Yes, but you won't have to worry about your son getting pregnant when he's a teenager either," Elizabeth replied.

They were talking about the pros and cons of circumcision when Susan walked in, looking slightly dazed. "I mean, Robert is circumcised, so he'll probably want his son to be too," Melanie said before clapping a hand over her mouth.

Susan and Elizabeth started laughing wickedly while Melanie shook her head in embarrassment. "I'm not sure I needed that visual," Susan said as she sat down next to Melanie.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She already knew that about Robert, after having had to examine him the time he'd collapsed in the ER with a high fever. He'd been unconscious and unable to tell them what was wrong, so she'd had to look over him completely before diagnosing the kidney stone. They'd never spoken of it, but she assumed that he assumed she had seen him. It was awkward at best, and something she didn't spend too much time thinking about. She certainly wasn't going to tell Melanie that, and chuckled at Susan's quip. "Don't worry, we won't tell him you said that." Melanie looked grateful at that.

Susan turned to Melanie and patted her stomach. "How's the baby today?"

"Oh, he's good, rolling around like usual," Melanie replied. She looked down at Susan's hand that was resting on her stomach and frowned. Something looked new about it. "Susan, is there a wedding ring on your ring finger?" she asked, sitting up and pulling away from her.

Susan grinned and laughed. "Yes," she replied lightly. "Chuck and I got married! At the Chapel of Love, by Elvis!"

Both Elizabeth and Melanie's jaws dropped open. "You did what?" Elizabeth asked.

"We got married! I know, we just met, we barely know each other, but there's a real connection. I think he's the one!"

Melanie stood up and began pacing the floor of the living room while Elizabeth folded her arms and continued to look shocked. "You legally married a man you met three days ago?" Elizabeth asked. "What…How…What?"

"Yes, exactly my question," Melanie added, stopping next to Elizabeth.

"Relax, everything's going to turn out all right," Susan said, standing up and stretching her legs out. "In fact, I'm going out to dinner with him one last time before we leave tomorrow. He's flying home the same time we are too. What about you and Eddie?"

Elizabeth sighed and ran her fingers through her hair for a moment. "He flew back this afternoon," she replied. "I thought I'd stick around here and go out to dinner with Melanie, if she wanted to."

Melanie nodded her head. "I think that's a good idea. I'm too tired to go back out today."

"Well, don't wait up for me," Susan said, walking towards the door. "I'll make sure I'm back in time to get some sleep and pack and all that before leaving tomorrow morning. Don't worry."

"Don't sleep with him, Susan!" Melanie cried as Susan opened the door. "You can't have a marriage annulled if you consummate it."

"Who says I want to annul it?" Susan said with a wink and a grin before leaving the room.

Melanie and Elizabeth looked stunned still and sat quietly on opposite couches for a while. "How did this happen?" Melanie asked. "Did Susan lose her mind?"

Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. "I really have no idea," she replied. "Who knew that a simple trip to Vegas would end up being so crazy?"


	28. The Flip Side

Dinner went by in a blur as Melanie and Elizabeth discussed Susan's whirlwind marriage. "I just don't know what she was thinking," Melanie said when they were seated at the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse. "I mean, she doesn't even know Chuck. Maybe he's a serial killer and he's going to lure her to his house in Chicago and kill her! If she gets killed, we'll have to testify against him at the trial! I don't want Susan to get murdered!" Tears filled her eyes at the thought of it.

Elizabeth frowned and reached out to squeeze her hand. "Melanie, I'm sure none of that will happen," she said firmly. "I think they're both just very impulsive people, that's all." She took a sip of water before continuing. "She and Chuck will probably get it annulled when they get back home and the reality of what they've done hits them…"

Melanie spent the rest of the evening packing to go home and fretting over Susan. Finally, Elizabeth dragged her down to the pool for a swim. "It'll be relaxing," she declared as she took off her bathrobe and slipped into the water.

Melanie took off her bathrobe as well, revealing a navy blue and turquoise striped bikini. She looked down at herself and frowned. "Do I look absolutely ridiculous?" she asked Elizabeth. All she could see was her protruding stomach, and not much else.

"No, I think you look adorable," Elizabeth replied with a smile. "I hadn't realized how round you've gotten. And you've still got four and a half months to go…"

"I look fat?" Melanie asked, reaching down for her robe.

"No! Not at all. You just look pregnant. Nobody would mistake it."

Melanie finally walked to the steps and stepped into the water. She found herself feeling completely relaxed in the water. It was easier and less painful to walk, and her back didn't feel as sore with the water holding her up. "Oh, this is nice," she said as she and Elizabeth swam around the pool slowly. "I need to find a pool back home to do this more often."

After several laps, they returned to their room to dry off and get ready for bed. Both of them slept soundly that night, and when they woke up, Susan was in her room. When they'd all finished packing and getting ready for the day, they went downstairs to the Verandah for breakfast. Melanie was sad that the buffet was only for weekends, but enjoyed the meal anyway.

"Well, I think I can safely say that it's been a very eventful weekend," Elizabeth said with a smile. "I for one, had a wonderful time."

"Me too, it was really fun," Melanie added. "I can't believe how much there is to do here. I didn't get to do any of the museums or visit the hospital for a tour. Maybe I'll come back again with Robert sometime."

"I had a great time too," Susan said, cutting into her frittata. "I think I could live here!"

Neither Elizabeth nor Melanie mentioned Chuck. They had decided to let Susan handle the situation in her own way, and hopefully it would all work out in the end.

After the meal, they returned to the room and got all their bags to take down to the lobby. Melanie checked out and gave the keys back to the clerk at the desk. Robert had given the hotel his credit information, and everything was charged to his account. She never found out how much that weekend had cost him, but assumed it had cost quite a bit.

The flight home was uneventful, except for Susan and Chuck making out in their seats nearly the whole time. "This is their honeymoon after all, I suppose," Melanie whispered to Elizabeth, who had just taken a sip of water and nearly spat it out. Both of them started to giggle. "Who knows? Maybe next weekend you and Dorset will elope…You never know after all…" Elizabeth laughed so hard tears rolled down her cheeks, and Melanie had to run for the bathroom in spite of her fear of airplane toilets.

When they landed in Chicago and had retrieved all of their luggage, Chuck and Susan left after saying their farewells. Elizabeth and Melanie walked to Elizabeth's car and drove to Robert's house. "Oh I can't wait to see him!" Melanie cried as they pulled into the driveway. They left their luggage in the car so they could run inside faster.

"Robert, we're back!" Melanie cried from the front door as they walked into the house.

They were greeted by Ella riding into the foyer on a hot pink Big Wheel. "Mama!" she cried as she drove into Elizabeth's legs before coming to a stop. She hopped off the bike and threw herself into her mother's outstretched arms. "I missed you!"

Robert hurried into the room after Ella, a dishtowel was draped over one shoulder, and soap suds dripped down his arm. "You're back!" he cried, half excited, half relieved. "I missed you too."

Melanie ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh I love you so much," she said before kissing him. "We had so much fun, but I missed you so much!" She looked at him, caressing his face with her hands. He hadn't had time to shave during Ella's visit apparently, because three days-worth of stubble lined his jaw and cheeks. It was scratchy, but not horribly so. "You're growing a beard now?" she asked as he put his hand on her stomach to feel for the baby.

"I was thinking about it," he replied, smiling when the baby kicked against his hand. "I thought it made me look distinguished."

Elizabeth walked over to them, Ella in her arms. "How did it go? I see you went toy shopping…"

"We had a wonderful time, didn't we Ella?"

Ella nodded her head and smiled. "We had hot dogs every night!"

"I let her choose the menu," Robert explained. "And we cooked together, didn't we? I made Ella my special helper."

"Well I'm glad you were a good helper," Elizabeth said, kissing her daughter's cheek. "What do you think? Should we go home and spend some time together? I got you some presents on my trip."

They returned to the car, picked up Melanie's luggage, and replaced them with Ella's things. Robert stuffed the Big Wheel into the passenger seat, carefully securing it with the seatbelt.

"Do you want to give Robert a hug and say thank you for a fun weekend?" Elizabeth held her arm out to point to Robert and retrieved something from the car while Ella and Robert said their farewells. "And this is for you," she said with a smile. "A little token of my thanks for a wonderful trip."

Robert took the bag and opened it. Inside was a framed black and white picture of the Las Vegas Strip from the 1960's when it was much smaller. "I thought you could hang it in your office if you wanted to," she explained.

"Thank you, it's wonderful," Robert replied. He leaned forward and gave her a hug. "Ella was a delight, and you should be a very proud mother." He and Melanie waved from the porch as Elizabeth drove away. As soon as the car turned the corner and was out of sight, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Oh my God, this was the longest weekend of my life…"

"Oh no, was it that bad?" Melanie asked as they walked into the house.

"Not really, it was just very intense. There was no escape, no down time," he explained, walking back into the kitchen to work on the dishes. "And I really learned what my limitations are with only one arm. Getting the prosthetic will be a real help, no matter how unattractive it might look."

Melanie took over drying the dishes. "Where are the mothers?" It had taken her until then to realize that they hadn't greeted her yet.

"I gave them the day off," Robert replied, shrugging his shoulders. "They needed a break."

"So, we're all alone…" Melanie asked, setting down the glass she'd been drying and flicked him playfully with the towel. Robert looked over at her and grinned. "Do you want to see the clothes that I bought? I got some special pieces I think you'll really enjoy looking at…"

Robert set down the plate he was going to wash and rinsed his hand. He turned, grabbed Melanie's hand, and dragged her upstairs.

(SCENE)

A couple hours later, Melanie sat on the bed with Robert in front of her. She was rubbing his shoulders and asking him about his weekend adventures in babysitting. "Ella's a good kid, but she is so busy and energetic," he said as they settled into the bed and relaxed.

"I want to hear all about it," Melanie said, reaching out and tracing her fingertips up and down his arm.

Robert moved over and put his ear against her stomach before launching into his story. "Thursday night was a little shaky at first, because neither you nor Elizabeth was there and she didn't know the mothers yet, but the hot dog dinner helped a lot. I think I did very well cooking dinner. Nothing caught on fire or anything. I remembered to cut her hot dogs into small pieces so she wouldn't choke on it. And it turns out, she loves fruit cocktail, which is good since I can't cut up fresh fruit anymore…"

"All right, Ella, would you like some fruit with dinner?" Robert asked as he set Ella's hot dog in front of. He put a small squirt of ketchup on the plate for her to dip her food in. Ella wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "But it's healthy," he said, pouring some fruit out of the can and into a small bowl for her. He remembered eating the cherries first when he'd been a child.

Ella pushed the bowl away. "Don't want healthy," she replied.

Robert glanced at the mothers, who had been instructed to step in only in dire emergencies, or bathroom-related accidents if necessary. He had to prove himself capable not only to himself, but to them as well. Particularly Ava. He had to get Ella to eat the fruit. Apparently "healthy" was not a motivator for children anymore than it was for him. Time for another tactic. He set his plate of hot dogs on the table next to hers and poured himself a bowl of fruit. He started to eat it heartily when he sat down. "Oh, Ella, you are missing out…" he said. "Mmm, this is delicious." Ella looked at him warily for a moment before glancing at her bowl. When he'd finished his bowl, he reached out and for hers. "Well, if you don't want yours, I'll just go ahead and eat it." As he started moving the bowl, Ella screeched and grabbed his hand.

"No, that's mine!" she cried. When Robert let go, she pulled the bowl back and began reaching in to eat the fruit pieces. He quietly handed her a children's spoon and instructed her to use that to eat with. She ate the rest of her dinner without any more problems after that. Robert smiled triumphantly at the mothers as they nodded in approval.

After dinner, they moved into the living room. "Would you like to read stories, Ella?" She had some of her own books from home, but he and Melanie had bought some too, to make sure there was a variety to choose from.

Ella chose The Berenstein Bears and Too Much Junk Food, a book Robert was unfamiliar with, but she enjoyed it. She sat on his lap and helped him turn the pages. The story was amusing enough, with a moral at the end. All in all, not a bad series to invest in for his son when he was old enough for stories. They read two more books before Ella's eyes began to droop.

After the last book, he took Ella up to the guest room. She looked around for a minute, taking in her surroundings. "Where's my baby brother?" she asked, looking confused.

"Uh…he's with his mommy," he replied, hoping she didn't ask anything too technical about babies. "He's going on vacation too." This seemed to be enough to satisfy Ella's curiosity, because she didn't ask any more questions. "Do you want to get your pajamas from your bags?"

Ella found them, and brought them to him. Elizabeth had told him that Ella was mostly potty trained, but still needed a diaper for nighttime. Robert began the arduous, yet not entirely impossible task of putting a disposable diaper on her. She was old enough to help hold it up, which was helpful to him. When that was done, they managed to get her into her nightclothes. He led her into the bathroom and helped her brush her teeth, then he took her to the door and pointed out where his bedroom door was in case he needed her in the middle of the night.

Before tucking her into bed, he showed her the baby monitor and explained how it would allow him to hear her in the night. When she was settled into the bed, he smiled down at her. He felt a strange sense of love and protection towards her and it was momentarily overwhelming. He handed her one of her stuffed animals as she popped a thumb into her mouth. "Does your mom usually sing to you before bed?" he asked. He'd also been studying lullabies and since the mothers were downstairs, he didn't have to worry about singing in front of them. Ella nodded her head, so he tried out a couple.

He'd just finished singing "All Through the Night," when he could hear Ella snoring softly. He turned on the baby monitor, took one, and turned off the lamp. He left the nightlight on and shut the door quietly behind him.

The mothers were waiting for him downstairs. They praised him highly for his first night caring for a child. He felt his confidence soar and said they could leave for the night. "Are you sure you want us to leave? We could stay…" Ava said, biting her lip in concern and looking so much like her daughter when she did that.

"No, I think things will be fine," Robert replied. "Why don't you go, get a good night's sleep and we'll have breakfast ready for you two when you arrive." The mothers left reluctantly, and soon, he was alone. He placed the baby monitor to his ear and smiled to hear Ella's light snores.

When he was ready for bed, he stopped by her door and peeked inside for a minute before heading to his room and getting ready. Before turning off the light and falling asleep, he wondered what Melanie and the others were doing. Susan had texted him when they'd landed, so he knew they'd made it safely.

(SCENE)

Robert woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, his heart pounding, instantly alert. "Wobby! Wobby wake up!" Ella's voice called out to him from the baby monitor. He jumped out of the bed and hurried to her room.

"Ella, what is it?" he asked once inside the room.

"I'm thirsty!" she declared, sitting up in the bed and looking at him expectantly.

Robert clutched his chest for a moment and took a deep breath to calm down again. He got her a glass of water and helped her drink it before checking her diaper. It was wet, so he changed it before tucking her back into bed. He waited a couple minutes until she'd fallen asleep again before returning to his room and falling back to sleep himself.

He woke up the next morning to the feeling of his bed bouncing and shaking, and was very confused for a moment, because it didn't usually do that unless he and Melanie going at it, but she wasn't here. He turned and saw Ella jumping on the mattress. "Boo!" she cried upon seeing him awake.

"Good morning, Ella," he said while sitting up and watching her hop around on the bed. "Are you ready for a fun day? We're going to make breakfast and then we'll go to the park. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Ella jumped onto Robert's lap, causing him to wince. Her knees were very sharp. "Oof," he uttered before shifting her off of his legs. "Come on, let's get dressed."

He took her to the guest room and began the long task of helping her get dressed, including changing her out of her diaper and helping her into her "big girl" underwear. When she was dressed, he helped her brush her teeth.

When she was done, he left her in the room playing so he could dress and get ready as well. "I'll only be a few minutes; don't leave the room," he instructed before rushing to his room. There was no time for showering or shaving, but he did manage to brush his teeth and change into regular clothes.

"All right, let's go make breakfast," he said once back in Ella's room. His eyes grew wide as he looked around the room. Ella had found the markers they'd purchased for the coloring book they'd gotten, and she was currently using them to draw on the walls. Knee-high rainbow-hued scribbles now covered every free wall space. He hoped the ink was washable…He couldn't exactly yell at Ella since she didn't know any better; it was better to find something to distract her from it instead. "Ok, why don't we stop coloring the walls and go make breakfast…"

Robert directed Ella's creativity to cooking by allowing her to stir the bowl of eggs for the scrambled eggs while he fried bacon and sausages. When the toast popped out of the toaster, he showed her how to butter the pieces, which she managed to do pretty well. The mothers arrived to a table filled with delicious food. They were quite impressed. They were also impressed with Ella's artistic abilities which she showed off proudly before they left for the park.

When they arrived at the park, Robert put a healthy dose of sunscreen on Ella's face and arms before letting her run around in the park. The result was a three year old quickly covered in dirt and sand. He decided that in the future he'd put the sunscreen on earlier so it would absorb _before_ she got messy.

Ella had fun at the park. Robert pushed her on the swing, and held her hand as she slid down the slide. The only sore point was the little boy in the sandbox with her who wouldn't stop hitting her with his plastic shovel. Ella finally burst into tears, and Robert rushed over to intervene.

"Now, it's not right to hit people," he reprimanded the boy while wiping away Ella's tears.

The boy's father rushed over to them. "Are you telling my kid what to do?" he growled.

"Yeah, cuz your kid won't stop hitting my kid. Next time, be around to keep your kid from terrorizing the other children!"

The man opened his mouth to respond when his son proceeded to hit him on the knee with the shovel. Robert picked up Ella to walk to another area of the park and could hear the father yelling at his son. Hopefully that would _not_ be him one day.

They played for a while longer until Ella told him she had to use the bathroom, so they hurried off in search for one. They found one, which had a family bathroom, and he got her situated on the toilet just in time to avert disaster. Ella was just beginning to become self-conscious, and was hesitant until he turned around to give her some privacy. He helped her wash her hands, and used a damp towel to brush off some of the sand on her arms and legs before they went back to play some more.

When Ella finally got tired of the park, they left in search of lunch. It was too hot to cook, so they stopped at the grocery store and Robert picked up sandwiches and picnic food for the two of them and the mothers. He bought enough salads and chips for dinner as well, and stopped at the butcher counter to pick up some hamburgers to grill for dinner.

As they passed by the bakery, one of the employees offered Ella a free cookie. She took it shyly and thanked the employee after Robert prompted her. "You have a wonderful daughter," the employee said as Robert broke off part of the cookie and handed it to Ella.

"Thank you," he replied as they walked away.

Once back at home, Robert set out the food and let everybody help themselves. Ella picked her sandwich apart and proceeded to eat each item individually, and he didn't try to stop her. He'd read all about food issues with children, and thought it was a good idea to allow them more freedom in that area, not less.

After lunch, Robert let Ella play outside in the backyard for a while. She had fun digging in the garden as he sat in the hammock watching her. When she got tired of playing, she joined him at the hammock. "I wanna ride," she demanded, holding her arms out to him.

He sat up carefully and scooped Ella into his arm, depositing her next to him. "Lie down," he instructed as he lay down too. They rocked quietly for a few minutes, watching the leaves blow in the warm breeze. Robert closed his eyes for just a minute, and the next thing he knew, two hours had passed and Ella was snuggled up next to him, her little arm draped across his chest.

He was disoriented at first, not having planned on taking a nap at all. He'd hoped to take a shower and get caught up with a few things during her nap, but it looked like that would all have to wait until she went to bed that night.

Ella woke up soon afterwards, and was cranky for a while until Robert gave her a glass of cold water and Ritz crackers with peanut butter on them for a snack. When she was back to normal, and after a trip to the bathroom, she was ready to play.

Robert wanted to take advantage of the good weather and had planned some outdoor art projects for her. Ella followed him outside and sat at the picnic table he'd set up in the yard the day before. He set out watercolor paints, paper, and all the other supplies she'd need to paint. "Do you want to paint a picture for your mom?" he asked while putting a smock on her.

"You paint too," she insisted. He sat down next to her and picked up a brush and sheet of paper. He'd never used watercolors before or painted since he was a child, and had no idea what to make. Maybe something for his son. As they painted, he made sure to ask her to describe her painting. "This is mommy, this is my baby brother, this is me, and this is you," she pointed out each splotch carefully.

"Oh, that's a wonderful drawing," Robert replied.

Ella looked at her painting, then back at him. "Are you my daddy?" she asked.

Robert felt his mouth grow dry and he took a deep breath. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was heading and he wasn't sure Elizabeth wanted him to discuss it with Ella. He couldn't dismiss Ella either, though. "No Ella, I'm not your daddy," he replied, leaving it at that.

Ella looked crestfallen for a moment. "Where is my daddy?" she asked.

Robert sighed and set his paintbrush down. "He had to go away," he said quietly. "But he loves you very much."

"Will he come back?"

Robert was silent for a moment, debating with himself. "No," he finally replied. He believed in being truthful to people, even children. But he didn't need to be as callous towards them as he usually was to adults. "But your mommy is with you and she loves you very much too."

Ella frowned and began to paint again. "I miss mommy," she confessed.

"Right now?"

"Always."

Robert set his paintbrush down again and felt his heart break for her. No child should have to miss her parents all the time. He leaned down and hugged her. "Would you like to call her?" he asked. Ella nodded her head, so he pulled out his phone and dialed Elizabeth's number.

It rang several times before she picked up. "Hello?" Her voice sounded tired. He could hear muffled sounds in the background of what sounded like a man speaking quietly.

"Elizabeth? It's Robert."

"Robert, is everything ok?" He could hear her voice grow alarmed and much more alert instantly.

"Yes, I just called because Ella wants to talk to you. She misses you." He held the phone to Ella's ear, and she took it from him.

"Hi mommy, I miss you," she said. Robert listened as she spoke quietly to her mom for a couple minutes. "I love you too mommy, bye bye." She gave the phone back to Robert and returned to her painting.

"Elizabeth, you still there?" he asked.

"Yes," her voice was strained and he could tell she was fighting back tears.

"How's it going? Is Melanie having a good time?" He hadn't wanted to call Melanie and make her miss him.

"Oh, it's been great so far," Elizabeth replied. "Melanie won some money playing the slots, and on her first try too! She's off sight-seeing today and I think she's going to take in a few shows."

"You aren't with her?"

Elizabeth was silent for a moment and Robert could hear the voice in the background again. "No, we all decided to do different things, but we're keeping in touch and spending time in the hotel together."

"Well, make sure to keep an eye on her."

"She's doing just fine Robert, really. She really is quite capable of looking after herself, you know."

"She's not like you, Lizzie, she's much more delicate and innocent. Anything could happen out there and she'd be helpless to stop it!"

"Oh Robert! I'm going to hang up now; you're being absolutely ridiculous." With that, she hung up the phone.

Robert frowned and closed his phone. Why didn't she see that Melanie needed to be protected and looked after? That's why he'd sent her and Susan with Melanie, to make sure she was safe away from him. He sighed and returned to his painting. He'd made a zebra, and thought it looked pretty good. "I think I'll have this framed," he declared to Ella, showing her his masterpiece. "I'll put it on the wall in my son's room. He'll like it." He looked at her painting and smiled. "Would you like me to have yours framed too? You can give it to your mom as a present." Ella nodded and handed him the painting. He secured them on the table with stones from the garden before announcing that it was dinnertime.

After carefully washing their hands, Robert set up the grill for the hamburgers. Ella insisted on hot dogs again, and stood next to him as he cooked. He explained everything he was doing while the mothers prepared all the trimmings and set the picnic table.

Ava brought a plate and hot dog bun over to the grill when Robert had finished cooking and helped Ella get her dinner ready. Robert brought the cooked hamburgers to the table and put his together without needing help.

Once they were all seated and eating, he looked around the table. Ava was pouring glasses of lemonade for everybody while his mother wiped mustard off of Ella's chin. He took a bite of potato salad and wondered at how amazing domestic bliss really was, and why he'd waited so long to attain it. Perhaps he'd had to wait, and go through what he'd gone through to truly appreciate it. He knew what the alternative was, and didn't want that anymore. Soon enough, Melanie would be his wife, and their son would be running around underfoot. He couldn't wait.

Bath time that night was interesting. Ella dawdled a lot, and splashed around in the water, soaking Robert's clothes, and taking nearly three times longer than it was supposed to have taken. But in the end, she was clean, and there was a half inch of mud and sediment covering the bottom of the guest-room tub. He cringed and decided he'd let the maid take care of it when she stopped by next week.

Ella settled right into bed and sat next to Robert while he read stories to her. When her eyes began to droop, he tucked her in and gave her a hug when she held her arms out to him. "I love you, Wobby," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"I love you too, Ella," he said, handing her the teddy bear next to the bed. He turned on the baby monitor, wished her a good night's sleep, and left the room. After making 4th of July plans with the mothers and sending them home, he finally managed to take a shower. He was so exhausted when he slipped into bed that he fell asleep early that night.

(SCENE)

Ella slept through the night, and the next morning, when the mothers arrived, she and Robert were up and dressed for the day. He decided they needed to eat out and took them to the same restaurant he'd met his mother at to tell her he was getting married. Ella had never been to a fancy restaurant before, and was quiet for a while, taking in all the sights.

Robert read the menu to her and helped her order when the server came to their table. He ordered the pancake-wrapped sausage links for Ella and the crab omelet for himself. After the server left, Robert took Ella over to the flower displays by the window and told her all the names of the ones he knew, and made up names for the ones he didn't.

"Aren't they pretty flowers?" he asked as they sat back down.

"Which were your favorites, dear?" Peggy asked as she helped push Ella's chair back in.

"The pterodactyl flowers," Ella declared, referring to the Birds-of-Paradise flowers Robert had never seen before.

Peggy looked confused and Robert shrugged his shoulders before sipping his orange juice. Ella set to work coloring in the coloring book they'd brought to keep her occupied. When the food arrived, Robert packed away the crayons and coloring book, and Peggy cut Ella's food into bite-sized pieces for her. "How is it?" he asked in between bites of his omelet.

"Nummy!" Ella declared loudly, picking up a piece and eating it with her hands.

"Remember your fork, Ella," Robert reminded her.

Ella frowned. "Hands is better," she replied, moving to pick up another piece with her fingers.

"Ella," Robert said in a warning tone. "We're in public, and you need to use good table manners in public. So, I need you to use your fork when you eat." He picked up her fork and held it out to her. "Don't you want to act like a big girl?"

Ella glowered at him for a few seconds before taking the fork and stabbing a piece of food with it. Robert took a deep breath and felt proud of himself for having prevented a temper tantrum. He returned to his food and the rest of the meal was pleasant and calm.

Ava took Ella to the restroom before they left the restaurant. When they were back in the car, Robert asked them to drive to a toy store so he could get a children's pool for Ella to play in at the end of the day before her bath so she wouldn't get the tub filthy.

He held Ella's hand as they walked through the Toys 'R' Us. "Wobby, I like this," she said, pointing to a stuffed monkey doll. "I like this, Wobby," she said, pointing at a Raggedy Ann doll.

"We're going to get a pool, Ella, not dolls," Robert said while gently pulling her away from the dolls.

"Wobby look!" Ella screamed a couple minutes later. She let go of his hand and ran over to the bike aisle and sat down on a hot pink Big Wheel.

She rode it over to him, with a big grin on her face and looked so imploringly at him that his resolve melted and he heard himself say, "All right, Ella, you can have the bike."

"Thank you, Wobby," she said as they continued to the pools.

Once there, it took a few minutes to find the kind he wanted. Ella rode around and returned to him with something in her hands. "Wobby, I want this," she said, holding out a Surfer-Girl Barbie doll to him.

"No Ella, I think the pool and the bike are enough for one day," Robert said distractedly as he looked at price tags on the pools. "Go put it back."

Ella wheeled away for a minute before returning and holding the same Barbie out to him. "My baby brother wants this," she declared. "He likes dolls."

Robert frowned and turned to look down at her. "Ella, you can't have the doll," he said sternly. "Please put it back on the shelf."

"But I want it."

"You can have either the doll or the bike, but not both." He thought that was a good idea, to let her choose which she wanted. He watched as she looked back and forth at the doll and the bike. Her face turned red and she took a deep breath.

Before Robert could stop her, she began to scream, tears running down her cheeks. "I—want—doll!" "I—want—bike!" she gasped before throwing herself onto the floor and kicking at him with her legs. "Want _both_!"

Robert had read about tantrums, and knew it was basically pointless to try and talk her out of it, or scold her. It was best to ignore her until the fit passed and she had calmed down again on her own. He just wished people would stop glaring at them. He turned back to the pools and did his best to ignore Ella. After a couple minutes, the screaming stopped and her wails got smaller and smaller.

Another minute of ignoring her, and she became completely silent. From the corner of his eye, he saw her sit up, sniffle, and rub her eyes. "Wobby," she called out while standing up and walking over to him. "Wobby!"

Robert turned and knelt down in front of her. "Did you think about which toy you want the most? The doll or the bike?"

Ella sighed and walked over to the bike, sitting down on it. She hugged the handles. "I love this bike," she declared.

"Ok," Robert replied, picking out a three foot pool shaped like a frog. "Let's put the doll back together, and then we can buy these things." Ella rode in front, leading the way, and placed the Barbie back on the shelf before they walked up to the cash register.

As they left the store, he looked down at Ella and smiled. "I'm very proud of you," he said as they walked to the car. "That was a very difficult choice you had to make, and you did a very good job."

Ella beamed up at him and pushed her Big Wheel to the car. "I love you, Wobby," she said.

The rest of the morning passed without anymore tantrums and that afternoon, she took a long nap while he planned with the mothers the best places to see fireworks. They decided to go down to the lake after dinner. Robert thought Ella would enjoy them.

When Ella got up from her nap, Robert made her a snack of ants on a log and grapes. He had his back turned and didn't see what happened when she shrieked and began pawing at her face. He turned around, saw that, and rushed to her side. "What's the matter?" he asked. Ella didn't respond, but started clawing at her nose. Robert grabbed her hand and looked closely at her face. One of her nostrils was distended and he tilted her head up to look at it. He saw a grape lodged in it. "How did you do that?" he asked, furrowing his brow and trying to figure out the best way to perform a grapectomy. It was too far in for him to grab it with his fingers or press on her nostril to help pop it back out.

He thought about tweezers, which he had in his bathroom, but realized they wouldn't get a very good grip without possibly scraping her nose and causing it to bleed. He could use them to pierce the grape, but they would just slide out again. What he needed was small forceps to grasp it properly. It would only take two seconds to get it out if he had the proper instruments, which he didn't have at home. He sighed and patted Ella on the head. There was nothing to be done about it, but take her to County. "Hey Ella, we need to go on a little trip before I can get that out of your nose," he said lightly, standing up and calling out to the mothers.

Within minutes, they were on the road to County and Ella was sniffling and wailing in the backseat. Robert sat next to her and held her hand, trying to comfort her and let her know everything would be all right very soon.

Fortunately it wasn't too busy in the ER, only a few minor firework-related injuries were on the board when they walked over to the admit desk. Robert was carrying Ella in his arm while she clung to him, her arms wrapped around his neck. He set her down on the desk and Luka Kovac, who was in charge for the day, walked over to them. "Don't ask," Robert said in greeting. "I need a small pair of forceps."

Luka looked at Ella's nose and smiled. "My daughter did that once," he said, walking over to a set of drawers by the curtain area and find forceps for Robert. He helped hold onto Ella's head while Robert used the forceps to extract the grape easily.

He examined her nose carefully and his jaw dropped when he saw a raisin even further in her nostril that had been behind the grape. It took another few seconds to get that out too. "Ella, did you put anything else in your nose besides the grape and the raisin?" He wanted to make sure nothing had gotten lodged in her sinuses. Ella shrugged her shoulders.

"You should probably get her x-rayed, just to be safe," Luka said. "Want me to start a chart for her?" Robert rubbed his temples and nodded his head. There went the plans to see fireworks at the lake…

In spite of how light it was in the ER, it still took over an hour for Ella to go up for her x-ray. During the wait, they visited with the nurses and doctors on duty. Ella told them all about her new bike and all the adventures she'd had so far with "Wobby".

"Well, it sounds like you've got the dad-thing down," Abby said after showing Ella how to put food in the fish tank. "You'll be all ready when your baby's born."

"That's the plan," Robert replied, reaching down to tousle Ella's hair.

Finally, they went up and Ella managed to sit still long enough to get her x-ray which came back a half hour later cleared of any foreign objects, much to Robert's relief. He finished up her paperwork and had Luka sign off on it so they could leave.

"Well, it's too late for the lake now," Ava said as they walked towards the elevator. "Should we just call it a day and go back to your place?"

Robert thought for a minute before shaking his head. "I might know a place without any crowds where we could see them," he replied. "Let's get some dinner first, though." He turned around and led them out to the ambulance bay and across the street to Doc Magoo's.

Ella enjoyed a very American meal of hot dogs for her 4th of July dinner while the others had fried chicken. A patriotic dessert of apple pie a la mode followed.

When they were done with dinner, he took them back to the hospital, and led them to the elevator. As they rode up to the roof, he thought about the fact that he hadn't been there since his accident. His heart raced as memories flooded his mind. The sound of the helicopter motor, and the blades as they turned, so fast he couldn't even see them. He could hear the sickening crunch as the blades sliced into his arm and feel the overwhelming pain flood his body while he toppled to the ground, his arm yards away from him. He remembered feeling very cold, and that was it. The next thing he remembered was waking up in a hospital across town days later with Kerry Weaver hovering over him like a vulture.

He tried to keep his breathing under control as they arrived on the roof. As if reading his mind, his mother reached over and took his hand in hers. She knew this was where it had happened and seemed concerned for her son's well-being. After propping the door open with a garbage can, he wrapped his arm around his mother, allowing her to rock him comfortingly for a minute as she kissed his cheek and spoke reassuringly into his ear. He felt strengthened by it and was able to turn around and look at the rooftop.

Ella stayed close to Robert, and the four of them had a great view of the fireworks, even though they were joined by a few people from the hospital. He picked Ella up and she clapped her hands and cheered as the fireworks exploded in the air. She had the time of her life, and when it was all over, she fell asleep in Robert's arm and he had to carry her all the way back to the car.

When he went to bed that night, Robert realized that he'd missed Melanie's first birthday since they'd gotten together. He hoped she was enjoying her time in Vegas and didn't miss him as much as he missed her. A year from now, he'd be enjoying the 4th of July with his wife and their son. It was the best thought.

(SCENE)

Robert wished he could have slept in on Sunday, but Ella woke up bright and early and there was no convincing her to go back to bed. "What do you want to do today?" he asked as he poured her a cup of milk with her peanut butter toast. "We could go to the lake and play in the sand. Or we could to the children's museum. Or the zoo."

"Zoo!" Ella cried excitedly.

"Zoo it is, then," Robert replied. Maybe later in the day he'd be able to fill the pool and let her play in it. After all the drama at the toy store the day before, he wanted to make sure it got used at least once.

When the mothers arrived, they all got in Peggy's car and drove to the zoo. It was relatively crowded, more people than Robert preferred, but Ella seemed to enjoy herself. They saw all the animals, and he had to hold her up to see some of the displays.

As Robert held her in his arm, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs wrapped around his chest. They watched as a mother gorilla sat next to the glass partition, holding her baby in exactly the same way. The gorilla made eye contact with him for a moment before looking away again. He was struck at the dichotomy of the image. "Do you like gorillas?" he asked Ella.

Ella nodded her head and smiled. "They're my favorite." She had said that about every animal they'd seen so far.

The highlight of the trip, though, was when Robert bought popcorn for everybody and they sat on a bench to eat it. A squirrel scurried over to catch falling kernels, and Ella shrieked with delight. "Squirrel, Wobby!" she cried. She jumped off the bench and ran towards it, which caused the animal to take flight, but she kept chasing it.

"Ella! Come back here!" Robert shouted, jumping up and rushing after her. She disappeared from sight for several terrifying seconds before he caught up with her at the lion habitat. "Ella!" The squirrel had disappeared and her attention returned to him. "Ella, don't run away like that," he said sternly, bending down and taking her by the hand. "You can't run away; I have to be able to see you." He led her back to the bench and set her on his lap before they returned to their snack. Robert bought Ella a stuffed squirrel toy at the zoo's gift shop before they left that day and she informed him on the ride home that she had named it "Wobby".

Lunch that day consisted of tuna sandwiches and baby carrots. Robert had learned that with only one arm his greatest assets in the kitchen were pre-prepped foods, and the electric can opener. Pop-top lids were a wonderful invention, only a person needed _two_ hands to use them. He felt glad that there were still things he could do to prepare meals for his child when the time came.

After Ella's nap, he filled the pool in the backyard and let her run around in her bathing suit. She played in the garden, dumping buckets of water into the dirt and creating mud to make mud pies with. She was covered head to toe with mud and the pool became a cloudy, dirty mess. Robert had to hose her off before letting her back into the house.

When she went to bed for the night, he came downstairs and asked the mothers for a thorough evaluation of his job over the weekend. "I think you did a wonderful job, Robby," Peggy said, kissing his cheek. "You'll learn over time what works and what doesn't work for your child."

Ava nodded her head. "I was highly impressed," she added. "I mean, there were a couple mistakes, but nothing too major."

Robert felt relieved to know that Melanie's mother approved of his abilities as a father. It was just one more way he was proving himself as a good husband for Melanie. "Why don't you two take the day off tomorrow?" he asked as they left for the night. "Everybody will be home after lunchtime tomorrow; I can handle it, I'm sure." They agreed and hugged him before leaving.

After his shower that night, he looked in the mirror and realized that he hadn't shaved since Thursday morning and had quite a beard coming in. He turned his head back and forth and decided he liked it. It was slightly red, echoing what his hair had looked like when he'd had hair. He made up his mind to keep it around for a while.

The next morning was spent packing Ella's bags and watching her ride her Big Wheel through the first floor. They'd just finished lunch and he was doing the dishes when Melanie and Elizabeth arrived at the house.

"And that was it," Robert said in conclusion. "It was a very long, very eye-opening weekend, and I'm very glad I did it. I feel much more prepared for fatherhood now."

Melanie hugged him tightly and kissed him, taking a moment to run her fingertips over his beard. "You're going to be an amazing father," she murmured. "I know I chose right when I fell in love with you…"

They kissed for a while before Robert asked about her trip. "Did you three have a great time?" he asked.

"Well I had a great time and I think Elizabeth and Susan did, but you'd have to ask them to tell you their stories…" Melanie grinned cryptically.

"You won't tell me what happened to them?"

"It's not my story to tell. I'll tell you all about me and my experiences, but I can't divulge their stuff. It's like they say, 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,'" she quoted.

"I can't believe you won't tell me," Robert said with a frown. "It must mean it's really juicy…"

"Oh, very..." She grinned again before changing the subject. "So, did you miss me at all?"

"Of course I did," he replied. "I spent a lot of time playing with a little kid this weekend and it made me realize what I miss most about you."

"And what's that?"

"Playtime with a grown-up," he replied before pouncing on her.

Melanie squealed and moved around until she was pinning him down on the bed. "You know what I learned on my trip?"

"What?"

"That camera you gave me has a video recorder on it…" She leaned down and started to kiss his collarbone and chest.

"Does it? Well, that's very good to know. I wonder what we could record…" He reached his hand out and cupped one of her breasts.

"I can think of a few things." She sat up, slid off the bed and ran to get her camera.

The rest of the day was spent experimenting with the camera, as well as some other things they thought of. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.


	29. Surprise!

Melanie began her OB/GYN rotation the day after her return from Vegas feeling very relaxed. It was bound to be a less stressful rotation, due to the fact that there were no sick children involved. She was assigned to Dr. Webster, a young woman with a cheerful attitude. "Well, you'll certainly find this rotation to be educational," she said upon meeting Melanie and looking at her expanding torso. "You won't need birthing classes after this!"

Melanie soon found the she liked the "OB" part better than the "GYN" part. It was fascinating, if disturbing, to watch and assist births, especially since it was so relevant to her life. But having to examine women in such an intimate way was uncomfortable to her, though she didn't mind taking histories.

After her first week, she came home and gave Robert a big hug and kiss. "I missed you," she said as they prepared dinner. "I'm surrounded by women and lady-parts all day long. I honestly don't know what you see in them…"

Robert made a joke about liking to see himself in them, which caused her to hit him playfully. He told her about his day at physical therapy and how the arm prosthetic worked. "I'm doing really well and I should be able to go back to work by August. I'll have practiced enough by then to be able to function at the hospital."

On Melanie's days off, they continued to work in the baby's room or on wedding plans. One late July day, a week before Robert was scheduled to return to work, they sat in bed with paper and pens, making lists of what was needed for a wedding. "Rings are a must," Melanie said.

"We could go pick them out today," Robert suggested. "And we could get the marriage license, that's imperative for a wedding."

"I need a dress, you need a suit," Melanie added. "We need a cake, and a bouquet, and flowers, and we need food and chairs and a venue and somebody to marry us." She sighed and threw her pad of paper on the bed. "I hate this!" she cried. "This is too much work! Too much stress." She placed her hands on her stomach and felt the baby fluttering around. It helped calm her down a little.

"Well, we don't _need_ all of those things," Robert declared, trying to help. "Rings, license, somebody to marry us, a couple witnesses, and a little bit of time to perform the ceremony. That's all we truly need to get married. Let's just work with that. And we can get rings and the license out of the way today."

Melanie nodded in agreement. "I suppose that's not so bad after all," she replied. Robert pulled her into an embrace and held her for a few minutes before they got up and prepared to leave on their quest.

They went to City Hall first, to get the bureaucratic part out of the way first. It took a couple hours of waiting in line and filling out paperwork, but soon enough, they were walking out, hand-in-hand, one marriage license richer. "That's half the job right there," Robert declared as they drove away.

Wedding ring shopping didn't take nearly as long as engagement ring shopping had. There was some debating involved, however, as Melanie wanted silver bands and Robert wanted gold. They considered getting one of each and not matching, until the helpful store owner introduced them to white gold. It was the perfect solution. "Now we can match!" Melanie exclaimed as they were being measured for ring size. The bands would be simple, no adornments or texture, just sold metal. Melanie intended to wear her ruby engagement ring with the band and keep her fancier ring on her other hand as that one was too big to fit against the wedding band.

Instead of going home once the rings had been ordered, they went to a few bridal shops to look at dresses. The hard part was not having an exact date for the ceremony, and having no idea how large she'd be by then. "It seems silly for me to wear white," Melanie said as she ran her hands over a lace veil. "I mean, it's not as if it's accurate…"

"I think you should wear whatever color you want," Robert said with a frown. "If you always dreamed of getting married in a traditional white dress, I don't want you to compromise that just because white is supposed to mean something."

"I don't know," Melanie replied quietly. "I never really dreamed about getting married. I always figured nobody would ever want to marry me." She let go of the veil and looked towards the door. "Can we go? I don't want to look at dresses; it just makes me feel fat."

Robert followed her out the door before taking her hand and squeezing it encouragingly. "We'll figure something out," he assured her.

(SCENE)

They were both too busy to deal with wedding plans for the next few weeks. Robert was confident in his ability to function at work with the prosthetic to return as scheduled, half way through August. He finally took the prosthetic home and started wearing it there. Melanie was uncomfortable around it at first, but quickly grew accustomed to it and was reassured by the fact that he could now do a lot more then he could with only one arm. That would be good for after the baby was born.

Robert wished the prosthetic was more aesthetically pleasing. It was a typical hook-style prosthetic and made him feel like a pirate. What he really wanted was a Utah arm. He thought those were amazing; they had an incredible range of motion and looked much more like a real arm than his hook. Unfortunately they came with a matching amazing price tag and his insurance wouldn't cover it. Apparently, looking like the claw in one of those toy-prize glass boxes was perfectly acceptable by the fascists who ran the insurance company.

Those were thoughts he pushed aside on his first day back to work in nearly three months. "Welcome back!" Susan cried as he walked to the admit desk and looked around. She threw her arms around him. "You look great!"

"Thanks, it's good to be back," he said, pulling away from Susan and checking to see that people weren't staring at them. It was a busy morning and nobody was paying any attention to them. There were several faces in the crowd he didn't recognize. "You hired new doctors?"

"_Weaver_ hired them…Both are first year residents," Susan replied curtly. She pointed to a young man that Robert hoped Melanie didn't get assigned to when she repeated her ER rotation. "That's Cooper, though he prefers to be called 'Coop'," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, I'll definitely make sure to call him that," Robert said sarcastically.

"And that," Susan said, pointing out a red-haired man, "is Archie Morris."

"Archie? Like Betty and Veronica Archie? His parents must have a cruel sense of humor."

"Well, I think you'll really like him. He's lazy, he has an attitude problem, and he tries to get out of doing pretty much everything. Feel free to make him into a special project if you like. I think he'll really enjoy that…"

Robert grinned and looked at Dr. Morris. "Oh, I will most _definitely_ do that…"

"Well, you know the drill," Susan said, "Do your own thing, and I'm going to let you babysit the newbies, because I think you'll be much better at it than I would."

"It'll be my pleasure," Robert replied before taking a chart and walking away to find the patient.

The morning flew by quickly. Robert ended up doing four surgical consults before getting a chance to introduce himself to Dr. Morris, his new "special project". "So, I hear you're the new resident," Robert barked at him after finding Morris in the lounge. He'd noticed him go in there a half hour previously and was still there when Robert had a chance to stop by. "I see you enjoy breaks…"

Morris jumped up out of his seat and held his hand out. "You're Dr. Romano," he said, shaking Robert's good hand. "I've heard a lot about you…"

"All true, I'm sure," Robert replied. "We have patients waiting in chairs, so if you're done with your break, which you are, why don't you come with me and we'll go grab some charts." There was no mistaking his tone for a suggestion and Morris nodded his head and meekly followed behind him.

When they were back at the admit desk, Robert looked at the board, grabbed four charts, handing them all to Morris. "I'll be checking on you in a half hour. I'll be looking to see how many of these patients have been worked up and what progress has been made in their diagnoses. _Don't_ disappoint me."

Morris's jaw dropped open. "Four patients in a half hour? That's impossible," he sputtered.

"You're time is ticking away Dr. Morris," Robert growled. He stood in front of him, and though several inches shorter, was a very intimidating figure. "I suggest you stop whining, and get to work."

Dr. Morris frowned, took the charts, and walked away from Robert, looking defeated before he'd even started.

As Robert watched Archie walk away, Susan joined him at the admit desk. "So, think you can make a doctor or him?" she asked casually.

"I will definitely not quit until that happens," Robert replied before turning to look at her. "So…I know it was a month ago, but I haven't had a chance to ask you about Vegas. Melanie won't tell me a thing about it. Well, she told me about her experiences, but she won't say a word about you or Elizabeth…" Susan blushed and cleared her throat. Robert grinned and nodded his head. "So, I take it you had a lot of fun?"

"Yes, I had the time of my life, and that's all I'm saying," Susan said before grabbing a chart and hurrying away from him.

A half hour passed, and Robert walked around to find Morris and was outraged to find him in the restroom, hiding in a stall. Robert chewed him out so hard he thought he could see tears in the younger man's eyes as he scurried off back to the patients.

Melanie came down on her lunch break to see Robert. "I love getting to see you here again!" she cried, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

Dr. Cooper, the other new resident Robert hadn't had a chance to meet yet, approached them. He smiled and wriggled his eyebrows. "So the rumors are true," he said brashly.

Melanie frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "What rumors?" she asked defensively.

Cooper blinked a couple times before answering. "Well, you're the med student, right? The one he knock—uh, I mean, the one he's getting married to…"

Melanie wrapped her arm through Robert's and smiled. "Yes I am," she replied. "And you are?"

"Nick Cooper, but everybody calls me 'Coop'," he said with a smile.

Melanie shook his hand and looked around. "There's so many new people here now. I haven't been down here since last spring…" She and Robert left for lunch a minute later, and enjoyed their first lunch together at work in three months. "I helped deliver a baby this morning, Robert, and she was so cute and adorable…" They had finished ordering their food and were talking about their day so far. "I can't wait for it to be our turn."

"It doesn't feel strange to help delivering babies when you're pregnant? I would think it's a weird thing to do," Robert said curiously.

"I thought so too, but it hasn't been too bad," Melanie replied. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's crazy, giving birth isn't nearly as clean and sanitized as you see on TV. It's ugly and messy and raw, and it is intimidating to get such a preview of what's to come, but I feel like I'll be really prepared now."

They spent the rest of lunch talking about Robert's morning of getting to look after Dr. Morris. "It should be fun; I like seeing that I can still instill fear in people. I haven't completely lost my touch or gone too soft since all of this happened," he said, wiping his mouth from the large bite of the Rueben sandwich he'd was eating. He told her all about Morris's attitude and rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you didn't have that kind of attitude when you were my student. I probably would have strangled you long ago!"

"Well, maybe he's just not very confident," Melanie replied. "I mean, being a doctor is scary, and it's not as if there's much room for error if you mess up. Maybe he feels overwhelmed. He's just starting out, after all."

"You're so tolerant of other people's crap, Melanie," Robert replied before taking another bite of his sandwich. "I suppose that's a good thing, though. You'd never have put up with me otherwise."

Melanie smiled and leaned across the table as best as she could to kiss him. He loved that they could be together, in public, and no longer had to worry about getting caught. "I suppose that means there's a good value to tolerance then?" she asked with a grin. "It pays off, in the end."

When they'd finished and he'd paid for their food, they walked back to the hospital in time for a man with a gunshot wound to the lung to show up in an ambulance. Melanie returned to her floor, leaving Robert to talk Morris through the process. He soon found out that by never leaving Morris to himself, the younger man had no choice but to complete his tasks. Sometimes it took a lot of brow-beating, but he eventually got the results he wanted.

By the end of the day, Morris was finally doing things on his own, though constantly looking over his shoulder at Robert. "I think he's imprinting, like a baby duck," Susan commented as they got ready to leave.

Robert rolled his eyes. "Just what I need, a duckling resident following me around everywhere," he said.

"Oh, you love it," Susan replied. "Nobody can whip people into shape quite like you…"

"This is true," he said with a nod of his head.

"I mean, look at Melanie. She was shy and very timid at first."

"Naw, she whipped me into shape," Robert replied quietly before leaving to meet Melanie at the car.

(SCENE)

A week later, Robert was at work when he received a call from the jewelry shop, telling him the rings were ready. When he finished with the call, he recalled that his marriage license expired in five days. How had this happened? What was he going to do? Unless he wanted to pay more money and deal with going back to City Hall and those horrid lines, he and Melanie needed to get married in the next several days.

He was looking at a calendar and frowning when Jerry, the desk clerk, set a stack of files down on the desk next to him. "Everything all right, Dr. Romano?" he asked while beginning to sort the files alphabetically.

"Just trying to figure something out," Robert replied, distractedly. "You don't know anybody who could perform a marriage at the last minute, do you?"

Jerry smiled and set his files down. "Actually I do," he said. "I happen to be an ordained minister. If you're looking for somebody to marry you and Ms. Hahn, I'd be happy to do the honors."

Robert looked at Jerry, his head tilted and looking slightly suspicious. "Are you really? How'd you do that?"

"Internet. You can do anything on the internet. I have the certificate, I can show you," Jerry replied. "I've married three of my friends already."

"I believe you," Robert said, shaking his head slowly. "How much do you charge?"

"For you? Nothing. Consider it a wedding present," Jerry said. "I thought about making money from it, but I don't know…I think helping facilitate love is reward enough, and the whole concept of charging money to help bring two people together on their life paths feels wrong to me."

"How soon could you do it?"

"When do you want to get married?"

"Today's Tuesday, so…Friday? At the very latest. I have only a few days left on the license before it expires."

"I'm sure I can come up with something by then. Are you thinking traditional or more personalized?"

"Personalized would be nice. If you can think of anything nice to say about me…"

"I'm sure that won't be a problem, Dr. Romano," Jerry assured him with a friendly smile. "You just let me know where to be, and when, and I'll be there."

"Thanks Jerry," Robert said, returning to the calendar and trying to figure out how to pull off a wedding in three days or less.

It was Melanie's day off so he didn't have to hide it when he stopped by the jeweler's shop on his way home to pick up the rings. He didn't tell her about them, but put the rings in his desk drawer in his office at home.

Melanie was distracted from weddings with thoughts of babies. He was glad because he didn't want to discuss the wedding anyway. "We haven't really thought about what to name our son," she said, pulling out a pad of paper and pencil to write names down. "Do you think we should use a family name or come up with a brand new one?"

Robert indulged her in helping come up with a list of possible names. "How about Zacharias? That's a strong name," he suggested.

"Zacharias Romano?" Melanie said with a cringe. "How about Robert Jr.? Don't you want him to be named after you?"

By the end of dinner, they had come up with five possible names: James, Daniel, Julian, Stephen, and Matthew. Neither of them was sold on any of them, but agreed that they were solid, sensible names. "We'll figure it out," Robert reassured her after Melanie started crying over the list. "Our son will not be nameless. We'll find the perfect name, just not tonight, I guess."

"It's just that there's so much to figure out," Melanie wailed. "What kind of parents are we going to be if we can't even figure out what to name our child? Oh, and we have to decide on having him circumcised or not and then I have to decide when to finish school before having the baby and when to go back after he's born. And we have to decide about cloth diapers versus disposable and baby food! We only have until almost Christmas and it's already almost September!"

Robert was concerned for Melanie's health because she was crying so hard. He led her into the living room and propped her feet on a pillow on the couch. He left her sobbing while he got her a glass of ice water and brought it to her. She was nearly hyperventilating by the time he returned. "And our lives will be over when the baby is born! We'll never be able to do anything on the spur of the moment again! And I have to decide about an epidural!" Melanie reached out and grabbed Robert's hand, squeezing it tight. "Promise me we'll still go out on dates and do fun things just the two of us after the baby is born!"

"Melanie!" Robert spoke sharply to her to get her attention. "You need to calm down. This isn't healthy for you or the baby to carry on like this." He reached out and brought her hand with the glass of water in it up to her face. "Now, take a nice, big drink and then breathe deeply for a minute." Melanie sniffled before following his instructions. When she had calmed down again, he pulled her into an embrace, and lay back on the couch with her. "We won't be able to decide everything before the baby's born, and we can't plan for every possibility because we won't know what those will be yet. But we'll get through it. We'll figure stuff out as we go. We just…can't panic, because it won't resolve anything."

Melanie wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He felt powerful and strong to her and she felt comforted by his calm presence. "It's just all happening so soon," she murmured a few seconds later. "I don't want us to disagree on parenting stuff, so I want to get as much planned as possible."

Robert kissed her gently. "Melanie, we're going to disagree on parenting; I think that's just how it works. But we can respectfully disagree and work it out," he said with a smile. "I will promise to try my best to disagree with you as politely as possible."

Melanie was quiet for a moment before working up the nerve to tell him what was weighing so heavily on her. "I don't want our son to be circumcised," she blurted out.

Robert frowned. "Why not? There's nothing wrong with it," he said, feeling incredulous that Melanie would object to such a simple, routine procedure.

"I just don't want my son being cut up, not unless he really needs it," she replied tearfully. "Just the thought of a doctor taking a scalpel to him makes me die inside. I think that if he wants to be circumcised, he can do it when he's old enough to do the research and make the decision for himself. I feel like since it's his body, it should be his choice, not ours."

Robert took a deep breath and did something he'd never really done before: he tried looking at the issue from her point of view. Melanie had a very special, intimate connection to their child that he could never have. It was bound to help shape her thought process. The more he thought about some doctor taking a sharp object to his perfect, pristine son, and possibly botching up the procedure, made him cringe. It's not like that could be fixed if it was messed up the first time. It could permanently disfigure his son. "Well, I'll just be sure to educate him on proper hygiene when he's old enough, and let him make that choice for himself when he's older," he replied, trying not to shudder.

Melanie sighed and hugged Robert. "Oh you don't know how happy that makes me," she said, tears filling her eyes. "I've really been worried about it for some time now."

Robert frowned again. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" he asked. "That's what we're supposed to do as a couple. You are supposed to come to me with anything, right?"

Melanie sighed again. "I know…I just…I know what you can be like when somebody disagrees with you and I don't want to be the recipient of that. I can't handle fighting with you."

Robert placed his hand on Melanie's stomach and felt the baby kick against it. "I'm sorry that this has weighed so heavily on you. I know I can be rather intense sometimes, and I'll have to watch that around you and the baby. I really can, when I try hard enough." He leaned down and kissed her again. He hated that he had scared her. In her condition, that could be very dangerous. He didn't quite understand though, why she was so intent on taking his opinion into account. She was going to be the mother, and most of the decisions were hers to make. All of her worries over which sort of item to use over another just seemed so trivial to him. He didn't have an opinion one way or the other. But to her, they were life or death choices. The welfare of their son depended on her decisions. Perhaps forming opinions to offer to her would help so she wouldn't feel too pressured to be the only one making them. That way they could spread the blame more equally when they inevitably messed up with childrearing.

"You know, I don't think there's anything wrong with store-bought baby food," he said after a few minutes. "You and I were both raised on that stuff, and we turned out just fine. And besides, think of the people we'll help employ at the baby food factory. Not to mention the time we'll save…"

Melanie lifted her head from his chest and smiled. "I suppose that's a good way to look at it," she replied. "I do feel better now," she continued, "I guess we will just cross each bridge when we get there. Oh, and I have been thinking, and I think I can manage to do two more rotations after this one before my due date. I'll have almost a full rotation-worth of time, but I will want that time off to deal with baby stuff. Besides, if the baby comes early I wouldn't be able to finish one if I started it then."

"What do you think you'll take next?"

"Family medicine, I think, and then Cardiology."

"Family medicine, huh? I never took you for a family medicine kind of girl before," Robert commented.

Melanie shrugged. "I was thinking it might work well since I'm going to be a working mother," she replied. "Family medicine would allow me to do a little bit of everything, which I do like. And I can keep better hours…"

"That is a good idea…" Robert agreed, squeezing her lovingly. "Well, good luck in your cardiology rotation. Kasen's in charge of that, and he's a bastard. And coming from me, that says something. But I'm sure you'll do fine." He hoped that last part would reassure her, because the last thing she needed was more pressure.

"Is he really mean?" Melanie sounded concerned. "I've heard rumors about him…"

"He's just a bit heartless, which I suppose is rather ironic, seeing as he is a cardiologist."

"Well, I managed to survive two rotations with you. I suppose I'll do alright with Kasen," Melanie said with a grin.

"See, it was good for me to be so tough on you, because now you can handle anything," he said, kissing her for a minute.

That night, before he went to bed, Robert gathered a few items from the bedroom and took them down to his study while Melanie was in the bathroom. She never missed them.

(SCENE)

By Thursday, Robert was beginning to panic, and cornered Jerry in the lounge. "Do you have anything written yet?" he asked, trying to look nonchalant.

"Yes, I spent the last two days working on it and I think you'll really like it," Jerry replied, nodding his head.

"Great!" Robert exclaimed. "Listen, what time is your lunch break today? Can you be ready by then to marry us?"

"On my lunch break?" Jerry looked incredulous. "I guess so…Where do you plan on doing this?"

Robert thought for a minute before blurting out, "The roof. I'll page you when we're ready."

He spent the rest of the morning making phone calls to the mothers and enlisting their help. Ava was soon scouring his study for the rings, license, and the clothes he'd taken out of his closet a couple days previously. His mother was driving around town finding a bouquet, a cake, and food for a small crowd.

Robert tracked down Susan and explained his plan. "Will you help get her dressed and up to the roof after I page her to the ER? It's bad luck to for me to see her before the wedding…"

Susan's eyes became teary. "Oh, I'd be honored," she said with a smile.

Robert was unable to do anything after that, and went up to the surgical floor to invite a couple more people he wanted to be there. He stopped by Elizabeth's office and explained his plan.

"Have you gone entirely mad?" she asked, her jaw dropping in shock.

"I think so," Robert replied. "All I know is that I have until tomorrow before my license expires, and Melanie's in the middle of a rotation and can't take time off. This is the perfect solution, and it's what Melanie said would be ideal when we discussed weddings. So, it's this, or it's nothing. I'll page you when it's time to come up."

His next stop was at Donald Anspaugh's office. "Somehow I'm not too shocked," Anspaugh said after being filled in. "You do beat all, Robert, that's for sure."

"Will you do it?" Robert asked. He'd hoped Donald would walk Melanie down the aisle, or rooftop, seeing as her father wasn't alive and the older man was somewhat of a mentor to her.

"I'd be honored," Donald said in agreement. "I hope you don't harbor any resentment towards me for handing down that sentence to you two. I hated having to do it, but I really had no other choice."

"It's all water under the bridge now," Robert said honestly. "I know you weren't the one pushing for it. I'll page you when it's time."

As he wandered around, distracted, he realized there was one last person who needed to be included, and returned to the ER to hunt down John Carter.

"Best man? Why do you want me at your wedding?" Carter asked, looking mistrustful.

Robert was silent for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Because you never told anybody about us when you could have," he said earnestly. "I appreciate that."

Carter considered this for a moment before smiling and shaking Robert's hand. "All right, I'll be there," he replied.

"I'll page you," Robert said before leaving and seeing the mothers walk into the ER. He showed Ava where Susan was and after leaving Melanie's dress with her, Robert and the mothers went up to the roof to start setting up.

"Robert, you have to go get dressed!" Ava cried after they'd set out plates of sandwiches on the table they'd brought up from the lounge. "Go, go!"

Robert hurried away and took the bag Ava stuffed in his hand. He changed in the surgical locker room. He emerged a short time later in the suit he'd worn to the Nutcracker. The rings were in his right pocket when he knew he'd be able to get them quickly.

When he returned to the roof, Peggy looked at her son and began to cry. "You look so handsome," she blubbered as he took his phone out to begin paging people. The first page was to Melanie, telling her to go down to the ER. His stomach fluttered with nerves as he realized how soon this was all going to happen. He never once questioned if he was doing the right thing in marrying Melanie, though, because he knew he was.

Next to be paged were Donald, Elizabeth, Carter, and Jerry. Jerry had changed into a nice shirt and had a black notebook in his hands. "Where would you like me to stand?" he asked Robert. Elizabeth, knowing her friend would be distracted, quickly took over the job as wedding coordinator, showing Jerry and Carter where to stand. Robert gave Carter the rings before taking his place next to him. Donald stood sentry at the doorway, waiting for Susan and Melanie. He was holding the bouquet to give to Melanie when she got there.

Ava was in charge of pictures, having found her daughter's camera and empty photo cards. "So we don't have to worry about running out," she said with a smile. She clicked pictures of everybody getting set up for the ceremony.

It was a hot day out, but Elizabeth had arranged everybody in the shade and there was a slight breeze, so it wasn't too bad. They waited only a few minutes before the elevator door opened and Susan walked to the doorway, where Anspaugh was waiting.

"Susan, what's going on?" Melanie asked, feeling very confused. She had been paged to the ER and Susan had proceeded to dress her in her outfit from the Nutcracker, which, because of the empire waist, actually still fit her. Susan hadn't told her anything, but had dragged her to the elevator and up to the roof.

Melanie was surprised to see Dr. Anspaugh at the doorway, holding a small bouquet of yellow and red roses in his hands. He smiled at her as she stepped into the doorway. "What?" she asked, looking out and seeing everybody, including Robert and the mothers, standing there.

"Surprise!" Susan said quietly, squeezing her hand. "It's your wedding!"

Melanie gasped, clapped a hand to her mouth, and immediately burst into tears. She ran back into the stairwell and sobbed for a minute while Susan and Anspaugh tried to calm her down again.

"Don't be upset," Susan said, patting Melanie's back. "Robert thought you wanted it this way."

"I do!" Melanie cried. "I'm happy, I'm just…I can't stop crying!"

"It's probably the hormones," Susan replied, taking out a tissue and wiping her friend's eyes. "Now, you have to stop or you'll set me off too…"

"I was hoping you'd do me the honor of allowing me to walk you down the aisle," Dr. Anspaugh said, holding the flowers out to her.

Melanie threw herself into his arms and cried for another minute before composing herself. Susan walked towards the small crowd, smiling to reassure them that everything was all right. Donald held his arm out for Melanie to take, and stepped into the doorway. "I recall Robert claiming I wasn't allowed up here," she said quietly as she sniffed the roses for a moment.

"I expect he's changed his mind," Donald replied with a smile as he began to slowly walk her towards him. "At least this one time."

Melanie looked around at the small group of people at the ceremony and was surprised to see Jerry standing in the center of it all. Was he going to perform the honors? She looked at Robert and grinned in spite of her best efforts not to. Trust him to come up with a crazy wedding like this. It was so him, and it was so perfect. Her heart fluttered when he looked at her and smiled.

When they reached the mothers, Melanie stopped walking and threw her arms around her mother for a moment, then hugged Peggy before resuming her walk towards the man who would very soon be her husband.

Susan took Melanie's bouquet and Donald moved to stand next to Ava when Melanie reached Robert at the front. They grinned at each other, and placed their hands in each other's before turning to look up at Jerry, who towered above them both.

Jerry opened his notebook and took a deep breath before beginning to speak. "Friends, and family, we have gathered here today, to celebrate the love that Robert and Melanie have for one another. They have allowed us to stand here, as witnesses, as they proclaim themselves as each other's one true love. We have seen them both come together and grow, not only as a couple, but as individuals, into truly remarkable people. Both of them have become better people because they met the other.

"Nearly a year ago, Melanie came into the ER as a medical student looking to further her education. She got not only that, but a friend and lover as well. It wasn't always easy, and it wasn't always something they could show openly, but it was true. True love will always find a way to survive and thrive if it is meant to be. I don't think any of us would disagree that these two people standing before me are truly meant to be together.

"Almost a year ago, Robert was at a crossroad in his life. Choosing one path over the other would have resulted in a very different outcome. The path he took was the path of love, and openness, and being willing to give up everything he had and everything he was, for the one he had come to love. He truly had nothing left to lose, and somehow, he managed to gain everything in return. Out of the ashes of his old life, he emerged, like the phoenix, stronger and better than before."

Jerry stopped to catch his breath and in those seconds, everybody took the opportunity to blow their noses. Susan was sniffling the loudest, though Melanie was crying the hardest.

"Dr. Carter, the rings, please," Jerry said a moment later, smiling at the man standing next to Robert. Carter took the rings out of his pocket and handed the smaller one to Robert and the larger one to Melanie. "Robert, would you please place the ring on Melanie's finger and repeat after me…" he began to recite the wedding vows, and Robert repeated them.

"I, Robert Michael Romano, take you, Melanie Grace Hahn, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I promise to love and honor and cherish you all the days of my life; forsaking all others but you. I will love you and keep you in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in good times and in bad. My heart, and soul, belong to you always." When he was done, he put the ring all the way onto Melanie's finger and smiled, his eyes filling with tears in spite of his best efforts not to cry in front of everybody.

Next it was Melanie's turn to place the ring on Robert's finger and repeat Jerry's vows. "I, Melanie Grace Hahn, take you, Robert Michael Romano, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to love and honor and cherish you all the days of my life; forsaking all others but you. I will love you and keep you in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in good times and in bad. My heart, and soul, belong to you always." She slid the ring all the way onto Robert's finger and looked into his eyes, unable to contain the smile on her face.

"By the power invested in me, and with great pleasure," Jerry said, closing his notebook and grinning, "I now pronounce you, husband and wife." He turned to look at Robert. "You may now kiss your bride."

Robert took a deep breath and wiped the tears out of his eyes before gazing at Melanie for a moment. She was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen before. He leaned in and kissed her gently, caressing her cheek with his hand. Melanie threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

When they had finished kissing, Jerry wrapped an arm around each of them, turning them to the crowd. "It is my great pleasure," he said happily, "to announce for the first time in public, Doctor and…Almost-Doctor Romano."

The small crowd cheered and clapped for them. Susan began to sob as Elizabeth wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Jerry leaned down and kissed both Robert and Melanie on the cheek before letting go of them so that the others might congratulate them. Donald and Carter kissed Melanie on the cheek as well and shook Robert's hand while the women each hugged both in turn.

They stood around talking for a while before Jerry grabbed a plate of food, causing everybody else to take a turn dishing up as well. Robert and Melanie stood next to each other while people gave them advice and congratulated them. Robert kissed her on the cheek before grabbing a sandwich and walking over to Donald who was also putting food on a plate. "Have you met my mother and mother-in-law yet?" he asked, leading the older man over and quickly introducing him to Peggy. He next introduced him to Ava. "Donald, Ava, I bet you two have a lot to talk about. You two actually have quite a bit in common," he said with a knowing smile. He watched as Ava looked shyly at Donald and began talking to him before walking back to Melanie.

"Well, I think this has been a wonderful wedding, wouldn't you say?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her gently.

"I can't believe we're married!" she cried. "Really and truly! You're my husband now…And I'm your wife…"

"Wife…I love that word," Robert said. He handed her a cheese sandwich and ordered her to eat it. "I don't want you to pass out from all this excitement." He watched her start to eat it before tearing into his own roast beef sandwich.

Robert had never seen a small group of people consume an entire table of food so quickly before, but soon enough, the lunch was gone and Peggy started pouring sparkling cider into plastic champagne flutes for everybody. She handed one to everybody and Carter, taking his job as best man seriously, called for everybody to raise their glasses.

"I'd like to propose a toast," he said, smiling. "To Robert and Melanie, thank you, for allowing us to be here with you on the happiest day of your lives. We will all share this memory, and smile at it and remember that love can come to anybody if they allow it. Love truly can conquer anything and leave you a better person for it." He raised his glass, "So, to Melanie and Robert, congratulations!"

Everybody echoed his sentiments before sipping their cider. Robert felt his emotions threatening to overwhelm him and took several deep breaths before speaking. "I would like to propose a toast as well, if you will permit me," he said hoarsely. He turned and looked into Melanie's eyes before continuing. "To Melanie, my wife. You have been the best thing in my life since the day I met you." He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "And as I'm not much one for sentiment, I'll just leave it at that. So, if you will all raise your glasses, and drink a toast with me. To Melanie." He raised his glass to his lips and took a sip, the rest of the crowd following suit.

Peggy walked over and held out a cake server to Robert. "It's time to cut the cake," she declared, leading them over to the table. Robert and Melanie both put their hands on the server and cut the first piece of cake. It was a small, three-tiered vanilla cake with white frosting and yellow and red flowers. Neither was inclined to feed the other the first bites, so they proceeded to cut pieces for everybody and handed them out before taking some of their own.

Just as the last of the cake was being eaten, and people were standing around talking, a helicopter flew in to land on the roof, sending paper plates flying and people running to meet it. Robert grabbed onto Melanie and held her tightly as the helicopter landed. Melanie watched as a man was put onto a gurney from inside the helicopter and somebody jumped out with him, holding a bag of fluid connected to an IV. The man holding the bag looked familiar and Melanie rolled her eyes as Susan ran toward him: Chuck. The last she'd heard they were still married and had no plans to divorce.

The small group of people wheeled the man on the gurney to the elevator and Robert quickly kissed Melanie on the cheek. "I'd better go with them, they might need a surgical consult. I'll see you after work!" He ran after them, making it onto the elevator just before the door closed behind him.

Melanie sighed and looked at her watch. "Oh, I've got to get back too!" she cried, giving her mother a quick hug before hurrying off to catch the next elevator. Jerry went with her as his lunch break had ended some time before then and he was needed back in the ER.

And just like that, Donald Anspaugh was left alone on the roof with Peggy and Ava. "Well, I guess the wedding's over," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Here, allow me to help you two ladies clean up." He helped them drag the table back to the elevator and as Peggy took things to the car, he and Ava went to the ER to drop off the table. They found plenty of things to talk about on their way downstairs.

(SCENE)

Melanie returned to her resident, looking sheepish and still wearing her wedding dress. "Where have you been?" Dr. Webster asked, looking concerned and confused. "Whatever are you wearing?"

Melanie blushed and tried to figure out how best to explain what had just happened. "Uh…I got married," she replied sheepishly.

"What?"

"Robert paged me to the ER, and Dr. Lewis dressed me up in this dress, took me up to the roof, and there was my mother and Robert and a few others, and…we got married…" She held out her hand to show off her wedding band as proof. "I still can hardly believe it myself, but it must have happened, because I'm wearing this dress and I have this ring, and I distinctly remember saying my vows."

"I've never heard of such a thing before," Dr. Webster said, shaking her head in wonder. "And you just went right on back to work when it was over…"

"I know, it's crazy!" Melanie cried.

"But you won't get a honeymoon…"

"Well, after this rotation ends I'll get a day off in between so maybe we could go away for a weekend or something," Melanie replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't mind so much about a honeymoon because the important thing's been done. We got married, that's all that really matters."

As Robert ran around in the ER the reality of what had just happened began to hit him. He was now a married man. He was going to go to his home that evening, to his wife, and they would make dinner and wash the dishes. And later that night, he would make love to his wife for the first time.

Every time he walked past Dr. Carter or Jerry they grinned at him and he did his best to ignore it, but others seemed to notice it as well. "Dr. Romano, why is everybody smiling at you?" Coop asked as he picked up a chart at the admit desk.

"I expect it's because they were just up on the roof with me while I was getting married," Robert said nonchalantly.

"What?" Coop asked stupidly as Dr. Morris joined them.

"What's up?" Morris asked.

"Doctor Romano says he just got married," Coop replied. "On the roof…"

Morris looked incredulous. "Really? On the roof?" he asked, looking at Robert for confirmation.

"Yes, I was on the roof not too long ago and Melanie and I were married," Robert said, grabbing a chart and handing it to Morris. "If you don't believe me, ask Jerry, he's the one who married us."

"And you didn't invite us?" Morris asked, looking hurt.

"Well, _somebody_ had to run the ER in my absence and I had _such_ faith in you two that I decided to bestow that honor onto you guys." Robert rolled his eyes before walking away from them.

The best part of the day, besides getting married, was when Kerry Weaver descended from her office down into the ER to make rounds and ran into Robert. "I've been hearing rumors about you getting married on the roof?" she said questioningly.

"Oh, yes, it's true," Robert replied with a smile. "I would have invited you, but I don't like you."

Kerry had a sour expression on her face and she crossed her arms. "Well, I suppose congratulations are in order then," she replied, narrowing her eyes.

"That means so much coming from you, Kerry," Robert sneered. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go make sure Morris is staying focused on the tasks I assigned to him." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Kerry looking dazed and confused. He found Jerry at the admit desk and filled out the rest of the marriage license with him. Both men signed it, and Robert put it in his pocket to have Melanie sign that evening.

The rest of the day passed slowly for the newly-married couple, but finally, their shifts did end, and they met at the car. Robert made Melanie sign the license before even getting into the car. They had changed back into their regular clothes, and discussed where to go for dinner as Melanie drove out of the garage. Robert had her drive to the post office and sent the license to City Hall via certified mail. It was worth the extra expense to him to know it would arrive safely.

They had heard something strange as they drove out of the hospital garage, a clattering sound, and didn't figure out what it was until they arrived at the post office. They walked around to the back of the car and saw that somebody had tied latex gloves, a couple IV bags, and an old stethoscope to the back of the car with a sign saying "Just married" on it.

Melanie laughed and shook her head. "I wonder who did this," she murmured.

"It really could be anybody at the hospital," Robert replied, while wrapping his hand around her waist and kissing her cheek. "They're all crazy enough to do this."

They decided to eat at the Italian restaurant they'd shared their first kiss at for their first dinner as a married couple. After untying the items from their car and throwing them into the trunk, they drove to the restaurant and enjoyed an intimate, quiet meal together. Instead of sitting across from one another, they sat next to each other in a darkened corner of the restaurant, kissing and whispering sweet nothings to one another. "I had no idea you were planning the wedding," Melanie murmured in Robert's ear. "You will never know how shocked and surprised I was."

"I loved the idea of surprising you," Robert said quietly, grinning. "I know how much it was stressing you out to try and plan the wedding, so I thought I'd take care of it for you. Because that's what a loving husband does for his wife…"

Tears filled Melanie's eyes and she leaned in to kiss him. "You are the best husband a woman would ever have," she replied a moment later. They managed to keep their hands to themselves when the server arrived with their food.

"Is it a special occasion?" he asked them kindly while setting their plates down.

"We were married today," Melanie replied, reaching over and taking Robert's hand.

"Oh, congratulations," the server said, smiling before walking away to allow them to eat in privacy.

They shared their food and fed each other with their forks. "I know how much you like shrimp," Robert said as he held his fork out to her. She nibbled the shrimp on his fork and held out a piece of eggplant parmesan for him to eat. They were finding it difficult to keep their hands to themselves, and had nearly finished their meal when the server returned to their table with a plate of cannoli in his hands.

"The owner heard about your good news and insisted on giving you these, compliments of the house," he said, placing the dessert on the table between them.

They thanked him as he walked away and proceeded to feed the cannoli to each other. When they had finished and Robert asked for the check, the server told him there was no charge, as a wedding gift. "That is so sweet," Melanie exclaimed. She urged Robert to leave a big tip, which he did.

The mothers were nowhere to be found when they arrived home and it didn't take long for them to end up in their bedroom. "So, Mrs. Romano," Robert said with a grin as they undressed and slipped into the bed.

"Yes, my husband?" Melanie asked with a grin of her own.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her into an embrace. "Thank you for marrying me today."

"The pleasure was all mine," Melanie replied, kissing him. "Thank you for marrying me."

The happy couple made love late into the night, and fell asleep in one another's arms. Both of them would look back upon this day as one of the best days of their lives.


	30. And Baby Makes Three

Melanie and Robert reveled in their first week of married life, spending every possible minute they could in their bedroom. It was unfortunate that they had work to go to each day or they would have never left except to eat, though Robert had the idea to buy a mini fridge and place in the bedroom so they wouldn't even have to leave for food either.

As the first week ended, Ava bid her farewell to them. "School starts in a couple weeks and I have to get the library all set up for the students," she explained while hugging her daughter. "And besides, you two are doing just fine on your own now. And Peggy's here if you do need any help." She hugged Robert and kissed his cheek. "I know I'm leaving my daughter in good hands," she told him in parting.

"Can't we give you a ride to the airport?" Melanie asked as Ava set her bags on the front porch.

"I've already got a ride," Ava replied with a smile. "He should be here any minute." She looked out the window. "Now, I've already said my goodbyes to Peggy and we've exchanged information so we can write to one another. Robert, your mother is a dear and I will miss her terribly. And I promise to fly out when the baby's born and spend Christmas with you two."

A car pulled up into the driveway and parked before the driver got out and walked to the door. Melanie was shocked and Robert was highly amused to see Donald Anspaugh come to the door and greet them. "Can I help carry your bags?" he offered while reaching down to take a suitcase. Robert took a smaller bag out of Melanie's hands and insisted on carrying it for her as Ava grabbed the last suitcase. They all walked to Anspaugh's car together. Melanie gave her mother one last hug and thanked Anspaugh for driving Ava to the airport.

After they'd driven away, Melanie looked at her husband and furrowed her brow. "Now, why would Dr. Anspaugh give my mother a ride?" she asked as they walked back into the house.

"I expect they met at our wedding and decided they enjoyed one another's company," Robert replied nonchalantly.

Melanie looked around the foyer as she closed the door and tried to take her mind off of what that could mean. "Well, we really are alone now," she said with a smile. "We can really be our own family now!"

Robert slipped a hand down her blouse brazenly and grinned. "What would you like to do tonight?" he asked suggestively.

Melanie grinned and kissed him. "I would love to do that," she replied, "a little later. I want to take advantage of the time to get my paperwork all in order so I can get my name changed legally. I'm still Melanie Hahn legally," she replied. "I would like to be Melanie _Romano_ as soon as possible…"

Robert kissed her and slid his hand back out of her blouse. "Melanie Romano, I love the sound of that," he declared, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "The Romanos…"

Melanie giggled and threw herself onto her husband. "Well, I suppose I can do paperwork in a little while," she said as they toppled to the floor in the foyer. Sometime later, Melanie worked on her paperwork while Robert worked in his office.

Her OB/GYN rotation ended soon after and she took advantage of her free Friday by going downtown and filing her paperwork. A few hours later, she emerged as Melanie Romano. Robert was so happy that he booked the honeymoon suite at the Drake for them and they spent their brief weekend honeymoon being pampered and spoiled.

As they drove home on Sunday, Robert made a vow. "Every year on our anniversary, let's come back to the hotel to celebrate. Even if we're not in Chicago, we'll fly out here."

"I love that idea," Melanie replied with a smile.

The next morning, she began her family medicine rotation at a private practice outside the hospital. It was her first rotation away from County and she was nervous to be in a new setting. She had decided to take family medicine first because she was getting farther along in her pregnancy and the idea of being at the hospital where her delivery would take place, closer to her due date, was appealing. Robert had agreed that it was a smart idea. "You'll be there already when you need to start seeing your doctor every week," he had replied.

Melanie didn't have much appetite that morning, but tried her best to eat something so she wouldn't faint later on. Her appetite was growing stronger again as she tried to keep up with the baby's demands, but she still wasn't gaining enough weight to satisfy Dr. Sladen, her OB. She did her best to eat as much as she could, but was only managing about a half a pound a week instead of a full pound like she was supposed to be gaining. Her heartburn was very bad and it made eating difficult.

Looking down at her ever-expanding belly, she wondered how much bigger she would get before the end. She was looking more and more basketball-like and moving around was starting to get very difficult. She could no longer bend over or tie her shoes, and since Robert couldn't either, she had to buy slip-ons to wear until after the baby was born. She found that her feet had grown and had to buy bigger shoes and she hoped dearly that they would go back to normal after the baby arrived. She took one last bite of cantaloupe, slipped into her extra-wide, comfortable shoes and left for work.

It took a couple days to adjust to new people and surroundings, but once she did, she really liked it. It was fun getting to do a little bit of everything and use her knowledge from school and all her previous rotations in one place. It was exciting and fun, and the hours she kept were great. No late nights, no weekends; she was able to have a life outside of work. She was home in time for dinner with her husband each night and enjoyed a relaxing bubble bath with him before getting a good night's sleep.

By the end of the first week, she realized that family medicine was the specialty for her. It wasn't glamorous by any means, but it made her feel good about what she did. The idea of having patients she could develop long-term relationships with appealed to her greatly. Becoming a part of an entire family and community's health planning made her feel warm inside.

At the end of her second week, she started searching online for the best family medicine residency programs to apply to after graduation. There were several wonderful schools all around the country, but when she saw one located in Salt Lake City, she intensified her research into it and liked what she saw.

Robert had mentioned several times since his amputation about the Utah arm he wished their insurance would cover. The company that produced those prosthetics was based in Salt Lake City. Melanie wondered if a company like that would want to have a surgeon on its staff. What better person to test their products and add input into future products than somebody who had a medical background and specific needs in a prosthetic? It would be quite convenient if they lived in the same city as that company…

Melanie kept very busy during her rotation. The practice she was at allowed her to do histories and physicals and once she had a chance to demonstrate her suturing skills, they allowed her to do them almost exclusively. She saw a wide variety of cases, both routine issues like diabetes and hypertension and more exotic things like sitting in on a vasectomy. She was surprised that something of that nature could be done in a doctor's office and not at a hospital, but Robert was less than thrilled to hear about it that evening. He didn't like the thought of his wife seeing naked men at work. "Oh Robert, I'm going to be a doctor, you're going to have to get used to it," she declared over dinner.

"It doesn't mean I have to like it," he grumbled. "Just make sure to keep your eyes from wandering too much…"

"Yes dear," Melanie replied, trying not to smile. She loved how jealous he got. It made her feel so loved.

There was one scare, though, at the practice. A child came in with the chicken pox and Melanie was forced to wear gloves and a mask and had to be moved to a different part of the building until the child had left and the room he'd been in had been disinfected. It was a terrifying morning for her and it just proved that even in a family practice, there were plenty of exciting and interesting things that could happen. Robert was even less happy to hear about the chicken pox scare than he'd been to hear about the naked man she'd looked at.

"Maybe you should be done with school after this rotation," he said as they snuggled on the couch that night. He pressed his hand to her stomach and felt his son flutter against it.

"I'm taking Cardiology next. I highly doubt there will be much risk to myself or the baby involved in that."

"I'll be very glad when you're done before the baby's born," he replied. "You'll be safer and quite frankly I just don't understand the mentality. You, Elizabeth, working yourselves to death while you should be at home, in bed, resting and relaxing." When Melanie looked confused, he explained to her the time he and Elizabeth had endured a marathon surgery together while she had been very, very pregnant.

"Well, maybe we feel like we have to prove ourselves to everybody because for so long we've been looked at as being the weaker sex. To stop and lounge in bed all day would only reinforce that idea, don't you think?"

"But there's nothing wrong with being weaker," Robert replied. "That's why men are so much stronger, to look out for their womenfolk."

Melanie frowned and rolled her eyes. She knew he had a more "old fashioned" sensibility when it came to gender roles, but he really could be ridiculous sometimes. At least he didn't go so far as to actually attempt to bar her from doing things, though he made sure to be rather vocal when he disagreed with her choices. As always, though, he was more bark than bite when it came down to it.

"Robert, I will be fine, the baby will be fine, it's fine!" she replied, deciding there was no point in getting into an argument over gender roles when she knew it wouldn't make any difference. "But I do feel flattered that you care so much about my well-being."

Robert moved around until he was on top of her. He looked deeply into her eyes and kissed her before making love to her. He knew he was old-fashioned and was grateful to Melanie for putting up with him. He was trying his best to not be too overbearing on her, but he was always so concerned for her welfare. He wanted to keep her locked in the house at all times to make sure nothing ever happened to her, but he knew she'd never agree to that. At least when the baby arrived she'd stay at home for several months. He'd be able to look out for her more at that time.

"I love you so much," he whispered in her ear when they'd finished. He slept that night with his arm around Melanie's waist, hugging her close to him.

(SCENE)

Melanie wondered if Robert would remember the first day they met. The first anniversary was just a couple days away. She thought the best way to commemorate it would be with a nice steak dinner at Doc Magoo's. Unfortunately, Doc Magoo's had recently burned down and was no longer an option. Perhaps a nice steakhouse somewhere else instead would work.

Two days later, Melanie drove Robert to a local bistro and cut his steak for him. She smiled at him when she'd finished. "Does this remind you of anything?" she asked casually while cutting into his baked potato.

Robert looked at his dinner for a moment before taking a bite. He smiled and reached out to put his hand on hers and squeeze it. "This is the day we met, on year ago today," he said, shaking his head wondrously. "Look how much has happened in a year…We met, and now we're married and have a baby on the way…"

Melanie grinned and gazed into her husband's eyes. They were full of love and warmth and she thought she could look at them forever and never grow tired of it. They spent the rest of the meal reminiscing about dance lessons, cookie baking, and working together at the hospital. They discussed the future and what still needed to be done before the baby was born. Melanie wanted to take birthing classes in spite of having already taken her OB/GYN rotation. "Dr. Sladen says it really is a good idea, because even though I might know how it works to deliver a baby, it's still not the same as being prepared to _give_ birth. I want to make sure I'm fully prepared." She sighed and ate her salad for a while. "The problem is timing," she continued. "I have to find the time."

"Well it's September, so you have, what, sixteen, seventeen weeks left? You still have four weeks of family medicine and then six weeks of cardiology. That leaves six or seven weeks and you aren't going to take another rotation after cardiology. I'm sure you can take a birthing class in that amount of time," Robert replied before taking a bite of his steak and sighing over how delicious it was.

"Will you take the classes with me?"

"Of course I will. I said from the start that I wanted to be involved in every single step. I haven't changed my mind about that."

Melanie smiled and reached down to squeeze his thigh. "I love you so much," she murmured before leaning in to kiss him.

Robert cleared his throat when she'd finished. "Wow…You'd better stop now before we go too far," he said quietly. "I might be forced to take you right here on this table, otherwise…"

"When did you first realize you loved me?" Melanie asked boldly while they perused the dessert menu.

Robert thought for a moment before smiling fondly. "I think I knew that very first dinner together, but I tried my best to ignore it," he said quietly. "But you made it impossible not to accept it. I remember the first time I smelled your apple shampoo I knew it was all over for me." Melanie's face flushed and he thought about telling her about when she'd fallen asleep at his house the first time and he'd woken to feel her arms around him, but decided to keep that glorious memory to himself. "And what about you? When did you first realize you'd met the man you wanted to become your husband and father of your child?"

Melanie smiled and blushed crimson. "Uh…that night when you want on that date with that blonde lady," she replied sheepishly. "Do you know that I ran into Elizabeth's office and cried like a baby? I was so upset…"

Robert was shocked to hear that. "I had no idea," he said, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "I mean, I had hoped it might make you jealous…but I didn't mean for it to upset you so much."

"And then you came over to Elizabeth's house and saw me in that ridiculous Ariel costume…I was so embarrassed but I was determined not to let it show."

"I was a goner by then. I kissed you on the cheek but really I wanted to make out with you."

"We could make out when we get home tonight," Melanie said suggestively.

"Definitely," Robert replied before the server arrived to take their dessert order. "In fact, why wait until we get inside? Remember the first time I helped 'empower' you in the backseat of the car? We could do that again."

"I would love that, if we can manage it," Melanie replied. "I'm much bigger now than I was then…"

"Well, we'll just have to get creative then, won't we?" Robert said with a wicked grin.

Melanie grabbed his leg under the table again and winked as the server delivered their slices of cheesecake to the table. They had each gotten a different flavor and shared bites with each other. "Oh, this is so delicious!" she declared after trying a bite of his triple chocolate cheesecake. "This will definitely help fatten me up."

Robert smiled. "I like helping fatten you up," he murmured while holding out another bite for her. "It's not a bad job at all."

After finishing their meal, they walked around town for a while, looking at all the stores and window-shopping. They decided what they'd buy at each store if they had all the money in the world. They had just come out of a furniture shop where they'd furnished their imaginary mansion with leather sofas, when they ran into Susan and Chuck who looked like they were dressed for a night on the town. "Fancy meeting you here!" Susan cried as they stood outside the door chatting.

Robert was feeling out of the loop, something he hated, until Susan introduced him to Chuck. "I suppose I shouldn't bother hiding it anymore. Robert, this is Chuck," she said with a grin, "My husband…" When Robert blanched, she continued. "We met on the plane down to Vegas and spent the entire weekend together. We got married too!  
"So this is what you've been hiding from me…" he said, unsure of how he felt about that. He didn't find it terribly shocking that Susan had married a man she'd only known for a few days, but he did hate not knowing. "I see it was a _very_ eventful vacation down there…"

"And I suppose I might as well tell you that Chuck and I are going to have a baby!"

Melanie squealed and hugged her friend. "We'll be pregnant together!" she cried. "Well, for a while at least."

Robert shook Chuck's hand, congratulating him. "You're in for a real treat, I can assure you," he said, wrapping his arm around Melanie's waist and holding her close. He and Chuck shared a knowing look and grinned at each other. Susan and Melanie were too busy chattering to notice.

They talked for a while longer before parting ways. "My dear, that was very naughty of you not to tell me about Susan's husband," Robert said jokingly as they walked back to the car.

"It was not! I told you stuff happened, I just didn't say _what_…" Melanie replied.

"I suppose you're right," Robert replied. "But if you weren't pregnant, I would be forced to give you a spanking…"

Melanie grinned and shook her head as they drove away. "Well, you're going to have to settle for making out in the backseat of the car tonight, because I'm just too full and fat for anything else."

"Making out is never a bad thing," Robert declared. When they got home, they moved to the backseat and proceeded to make out for nearly an hour before Melanie got heartburn and had to go into the house for antacids. When she was feeling better, they kissed a while longer before falling asleep that night.

(SCENE)

Robert hadn't spoken with Elizabeth much since his wedding. He'd hoped that they'd remain friends afterwards, but was starting to doubt that now. He watched one evening before leaving work as Elizabeth left one of the curtain areas after having finished a surgical consult he hadn't had time to do. She was filling out a chart and smiled at him. "So, how's married life?" she asked casually, setting the chart down.

"Wonderful, I should have tried it ages ago," he said with a grin. "I haven't seen much of you lately. I hope everything's all right."

"Oh, I'm fine, I've just been busy, that's all." Elizabeth looked behind Robert and waved. He turned and watched Eddie Dorset approach. "Hey, I'm almost ready to go," she said before turning back to her chart.

"So, Rocket, I heard about the rooftop wedding. Sounds like it was pretty spectacular," Dorset said with a cheesy grin.

"It was," Robert replied as something struck him. When he'd called Elizabeth in Vegas, he'd heard a man's voice in the background. It had been slightly muffled, but he could hear the resemblance now that Dorset was talking. Had Dorset joined her in Vegas? Apparently what happened in Vegas didn't necessarily stay in Vegas after all. But it was good to know that Melanie had been the best behaved of the three. He liked knowing that he could trust her when they were apart. He shook his head in wonderment as Elizabeth linked arms with Dorset and left with him.

That evening, he and Melanie had a discussion about the Vegas trip, and she disclosed everything to him. "I really hate that Dorset guy," she said, wrinkling her nose. "He had no respect for me at all and stared at my boobs any time he talked to me. I tried to throw him off, though. I refused to give him the room number. I lied and told him I didn't remember what number her room was," she said as they sat in the tub.

"Well, it's no wonder he stared at your boobs," he replied, placing his hand on one of them. "They are spectacular…But I think you were a very good girl to throw him off. That's what I like to hear."

A couple weeks later, he was visiting with Anspaugh at the end of his shift, talking about married life and how Donald had been maintaining a correspondence with Melanie's mother through the mail since taking her to the airport. "Things seem to be going pretty well for you two," Robert observed.

I would say so," Donald agreed. "But if you don't mind, don't tell your wife, not just yet. I want her mother to be the one to let her know, I mean I'm not saying anything is going to happen…but, just in case…"

"Don't worry, Donald, your secret is safe with me," Robert promised as he left the older man's office. He walked past Elizabeth's office and stopped by to chat. "How are things going with Fast Eddie?" he asked in greeting.

Elizabeth snorted quietly and rolled her eyes. "They aren't, at least not anymore," she replied. "'Fast' is right. Too fast." She flushed and lowered her eyes. "It turns out he's married. I was his bit on the side. Until I found out and dumped him."

"When did that happen?" Robert asked, frowning. He hated the thought of somebody doing something so awful to the woman he had loved for such a long time. She certainly didn't deserve it.

"Just yesterday," Elizabeth sighed. "We were in surgery together and a nurse asked over the intercom if he could take a call from his wife. Needless to say, it was very awkward after that."

Robert scowled and shook his head. "I should go give him a piece of my mind," he growled.

"No!" she cried. "I just want it to go away and pretend it never happened. Just let it go."

Robert's frown deepened and he stayed another minute or two trying to comfort her before leaving the room to let her keep working on paperwork.

Before leaving that night, he walked to Dorset's car in the garage, looked around for security cameras, and upon seeing none, took out a Swiss army knife from his pocket and slashed the tires. When he saw them begin to flatten, he felt satisfied with his work and headed home to Melanie. He filled her in on Dorset's treachery, but left out the part about the tires.

The next morning, Elizabeth stopped by the ER to visit with Robert. "Dorset's rather upset today," she mentioned casually. "You know why? Apparently somebody slashed his tires last night and he didn't find out until he tried to leave for the night. Apparently it took two hours for AAA to arrive and he only got home at one in the morning before having to leave to be back here by six in the morning. And he has no clue who did it…"

"Is that so?" Robert asked interestedly. "Well, that is a shame. He has such a _nice_ car too. Not as nice as mine, but still, very nice."

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

Robert held up his prosthetic arm. "I'm disabled," he replied with a shrug. "How could I _possibly_ have managed it?"

Elizabeth smiled and threw her arms around him. "You are such a good friend," she whispered in his ear before pulling away. He could see tears filling her eyes. "I wish I had realized that much sooner…"

Robert smiled sadly and took a step back from her. "Don't waste your life wishing for things that can never be, Elizabeth. Goodness knows I spent far too much of my life doing that. Just keep looking forward and moving ahead. You'll find all you need eventually," he said quietly.

Elizabeth smiled and began to walk away. "Oh, but the way," she said, turning to look at him, "Eddie has no idea who slashed his tires, so if you saw anything, make sure to let him know, all right?"

Robert smiled to himself and walked off to find Morris to make sure he was staying on task. He could never go for long without having to check up on him. It was a full time job just by itself.

(SCENE)

Robert was overjoyed to have Melanie return to County after finishing her family medicine rotation. He liked that she'd be in the same building as both him and her OB. Melanie was sad to see her rotation end, but received a glowing review from the doctors. One of them even told her to use him as a reference when she applied to her residency. It made her feel very confident about the future.

On her first day back, she went down to visit her husband on her lunch break. Dr. Weaver was there looking at the board to see where she could help. When Melanie walked over to Robert, who was at the counter filling out a chart, Weaver turned and noticed her. "Good afternoon Ms…Mrs.…Romano," she said in stilted tones as though it was painful for her to utter those words.

"Hello, Dr. Weaver," Melanie replied politely. "Fancy meeting you down here."

"I like to work a few times a month down here to keep my skills up," she said with a polite smile before grabbing a chart and walking away.

Robert held his good arm out for her to take and together they walked to the cafeteria. "I think cardiology is gonna kick my butt," Melanie said as they talked through the line, putting various items on the tray they were sharing. "I don't think Kasen likes me, based on the way he talked to me this morning. I think he disapproves of pregnant women working."

Robert frowned and pulled out his wallet when they reached the cash register. "Kasen's old-school. Like me, only worse," he replied. "You'll get through this, I'm sure. And just think, when you're done, you'll get a nice, long vacation until the baby's born. You'll be able to do all the last minute things you've wanted to do for a while now, and we'll take our birthing class. It'll be nice."

Melanie sighed as she sat down and began handing him items from the tray. "I think I'll need it," she replied. "I'm really getting tired again. Sort of like at the very beginning when I was so exhausted all the time. I think not having to deal with school will be nice for the last part of the pregnancy."

"You could always stop now and make it up later," Robert suggested. "Cardiology will always be here."

"I'll tough it out," Melanie replied. "I'll just be really glad when it's over…"

"It'll all be over soon enough," Robert said, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "Only what, two and a half months left? You can do this…"

(SCENE)

It was Christmas Eve morning, and Melanie sat at the kitchen table nibbling on a piece of toast before frowning and rubbing her gigantic stomach with her hands. "Come on baby!" she cried. "You were due five days ago!" She was almost near tears when her husband came into the room and started to make coffee.

"What do you think," he said as he turned to look at her, "Do you think he'll end up being our little Christmas present?"

"At this rate, he's going to be our little Valentine's Day present!" Melanie replied before bursting into tears. "I want this baby to be born!"

Robert frowned and walked over to hug her. "He will be, eventually," he assured her. He knelt down next to his wife and placed his hand on her stomach. "Let me see if I can talk him into it," he said. "Son, this is your father speaking to you. Your mother and I are anxiously awaiting your arrival. We had hoped to spend Christmas with you, but today is Christmas Eve, so there isn't much time left. Kick one time if you plan on being born today, or two times if you plan on coming out tomorrow." They sat in silence for a minute before the baby kicked three times. "Uh…I think that means he's not coming out until New Year's," Robert declared. "Sorry…"

Melanie sighed and stood up from her chair. "Will you come with me on a walk? I figure maybe if I move around enough and make him uncomfortable he'll want to come out."

"Sure," Robert said, setting his cup down. He watched his wife waddle out of the room to get dressed. He tried not to smile, knowing how self-conscious she was, but he thought she looked adorable when she waddled. He quickly ate a piece of toast before putting on his coat and following Melanie out the door.

Their breath came out in billowing clouds as they walked and talked. "At my last appointment, I was already dilated to three centimeters. It should be any day now," she said as she huffed and puffed her way through the neighborhood. "Dr. Sladen says she'll induce if he doesn't come on his own by New Year's." She stopped and looked down at her belly. "Hear that, kiddo? Consider that an official eviction notice. You have one week to vacate the premises."

The walk went very slowly, but Robert didn't complain. He didn't know how she was able to function at all at this point in time. She was a real champion, though, and he was filled with pride and awe whenever he thought about her, which was often.

When they got back from their walk, Robert made lunch while Melanie changed her clothes. "Oh, I hope my mom's flight makes it in all right," she said upon walking into the kitchen to assist her husband with the food. "I told her she didn't have to come, since the baby's not here yet, but she insisted."

"Well, since we haven't heard from her yet, I'll take that as a sign that everything's ok," Robert replied. "We'll drive to the airport this afternoon to get her, as planned."

They sat at the table to eat their tuna sandwiches and vegetable soup. They talked about Christmas and how things would go when Ava met Robert's brother and his family. "I just hope it's not a complete disaster," he said in between bites. "You remember how well last year went…"

"Well, things are different now," Melanie replied as she pushed her sandwich around on her plate, but didn't eat. "We're married now and have a baby, almost. That's bound to change the dynamic between you and your brother." She looked at her food but had no appetite and didn't touch any of it.

"Maybe…Hey, why aren't you eating? Do you feel all right?"

"I'm just not hungry," she replied with a sigh. She pushed her food over to Robert and watched as he devoured it.

When he'd finished, they stood side-by-side at the kitchen sink and washed the dishes. Melanie washed and Robert dried. At one point, Robert looked down and noticed a puddle forming on the floor by the sink. He frowned and bent down to look under the sink to see where the leak was coming from. "I do not want to have to call a plumber on Christmas Eve. He'll cost and arm and a leg. And I can't spare another arm…" He made Melanie step back as he opened the sink door to look inside. It was perfectly dry inside, much to his confusion. "Well, maybe you just dripped from the dishes," he grumbled while standing up.

When Melanie took a step back to the sink, she gasped and clapped her hands to her stomach as her water broke and spilled all over the floor. She moaned as a wave of pain washed over her. It became more steady and constant after a minute. Robert, in the meantime, was staring at her with wide eyes, his jaw dropped in shock. "Robert!" she cried, jarring him out of his stupor. "Help!"

Robert jumped into action, helping her into a chair. They'd spent the last month and a half in birthing classes and making a game plan for this moment in time. He knew exactly what he was supposed to do. "I'll go call Dr. Sladen and get your bag," he said as he rushed out of the room.

"What about my mom?" Melanie called out after him.

He thought for a second. "Don't worry. I've got it under control," he called back before running upstairs. Melanie's bag was just inside the bedroom door, but he rushed to the phone by the bed and picked it up. He called Dr. Sladen first, and then called Dr. Anspaugh. "I have a favor to ask of you…"

A minute later, he was back downstairs with the bag in his hand. Melanie was already in the backseat of her car, waiting for him, when he rushed into the garage. The keys were already in the ignition and the garage door was open. Robert set her bag in the passenger seat and turned on the car. They'd decided to take her car in case a mess was made. The jag would be much costlier to get cleaned then her car would be. "Are you ok? How far apart are the contractions?" he asked, trying to steady his nerves as he backed out of the garage and out onto the road.

Melanie winced and moaned. "About every five minutes," she said, trying to breathe deeply. "Oh, it's really bad, Robert, it's amazingly painful."

"Just keep breathing deeply, like you've practiced," Robert said as he honked at a car that had just turned into the lane next to him. "Maniac!" he cried, slowing down to about twenty miles an hour. "Did you see that guy? He nearly smashed into us!"

"I'm a little busy right now; I'm afraid I missed it," Melanie called out from the back.

Robert honked at every car that came remotely near them. Melanie was too engaged to yell at him to stop. Finally, he honked at the wrong vehicle, and the police car that had been directly behind him, pulled them over.

"Sir, are you aware that you're driving fifteen miles in a thirty mile zone?" the officer asked after Robert pulled over.

"Robert, why did you stop?" Melanie cried from the back. She was keeping her eyes closed to help calm herself down. "Are we at County?"

"My wife is in labor!" Robert said to the officer as he peered into the backseat. "We're heading to County General."

"Here, let me get in front of you and escort you there. That way you can drive a little faster," the officer said as Melanie screamed. He ran to his squad car and flipped on the lights and siren.

Robert turned his car on and drove after the officer, speeding the entire way. They made it to County five minutes later. "Thanks a lot, officer," Robert said, getting out of the car to shake his hand.

"Good luck," the officer replied before driving away. "And Merry Christmas!"

The officer had led them into the ambulance bay and Robert ran into the ER to get a wheelchair. He returned with a wheelchair, and Malik, who helped Melanie out of the car. "Take her inside and I'll go park the car," Robert said before kissing Melanie's cheek. "I'll be right back, I promise," he said, handing her the overnight bag and getting into the car.

Melanie was so overcome with pain that she couldn't speak and didn't really know what was happening. Dr. Pratt was in charge for the day, and as it was a slow day, he attended to her personally. "When is your due date?" he asked calmly.

"December nineteenth," she replied in between contractions.

"Overdue…And how far apart are your contractions?"

"They don't really stop, they just get a little less painful every minute or so," she replied before another one started.

"How dilated were you at your last doctor's appointment?"

She was in too much pain to respond, and held up three fingers instead. She moaned and began to pant, her legs wobbling uncontrollably. "I need to push!" she cried. "I can't stop it!"

"Try not to push, Melanie. We're going to take you upstairs," Pratt said, beginning to wheel her towards the elevator. Halfway there, he looked down and saw that Melanie was pushing and quickly turned the wheelchair around. He took her into one of the empty trauma rooms where Haleh helped her out of her clothes and into a gown. She helped Melanie get onto the table and propped the back up so she could sit up. Robert ran into the trauma room and took Melanie's hand. "Why isn't she upstairs?" he demanded.

"She's fully dilated and effaced, and she's pushing. If we took her up now she might deliver in the elevator. I've paged Dr. Sladen, and she knows to come here when she arrives," Pratt said calmly.

Robert looked suspiciously at Pratt for a moment. "How do you know she's fully dilated?" he asked curtly. "Did you look at her?"

Pratt rolled his eyes. "Haleh did," he replied.

Robert felt relieved and rushed back over to his wife. "I didn't think it could happen so quickly," he said, taking her hand. "I guess he made up his mind to arrive and is making up for lost time…"

Melanie steadied herself on the table, pressing her back against it and tried to figure out what to do with her feet. There were no stirrups and the table wasn't wide enough to prop them on it without slipping off again. "Oh, I have to push!" she gasped. Haleh stood next to Melanie and took one of her feet in her hands, prompting Pratt to do the same with her other foot. They helped hold her steady while Robert kept his hand in hers. Melanie pressed herself against all of them while pushing as hard as she could.

When she was done, Pratt took a minute to connect the monitors to Melanie and her stomach. He was able to watch the heart rates while holding her foot as she pushed. Haleh was given the honor to check the baby's progress. "You're doing great, Melanie," she said encouragingly. "I think I can see the top of the head, but it's still a bit further back."

As the next contraction subsided, Melanie sat back again and caught her breath. Robert grabbed a towel and patted her forehead. She was dripping in sweat. He kissed her cheek. "You're doing an amazing job," he said.

"Robert, in my bag," she panted, "Find my camera. We need pictures when he's born." She began to push again just as he found the camera.

Dr. Sladen entered the room just as Melanie's contraction stopped. Robert snapped a picture as an orderly wheeled a baby warmer into the room and Dr. Sladen began to scrub in. "Oh my, Melanie, I hear you're doing a great job so far," she said calmly as she walked in front of her and pulled up her gown to examine her. "You almost don't even need me. A few more pushes and he should be out."

Melanie ended up pushing for an hour before the baby was born. Dr. Anspaugh and Ava arrived during the final push. Anspaugh waited outside the room while Ava rushed over to her daughter and grabbed her free hand, holding it tightly. Melanie felt something pass between her legs and saw Dr. Sladen grab it with a towel and carry it to the baby warmer. She and Dr. Pratt worked closely for a minute while Melanie fell back against the bed, completely exhausted. Robert snapped pictures.

"Is it still a boy?" Melanie called out weakly. Her answer was a shriek as the baby began to wail. Dr. Sladen called Robert over and Melanie burst into tears as she watched her husband cut their son's umbilical cord.

"It's still a boy!" Robert answered her as Dr. Sladen placed his son in his arm for the first time. He looked down at the little boy and marveled at how utterly perfect he was. His son had ten fingers and ten toes, and a powerful set of lungs. He had a tiny patch of brown hair on his adorably tiny head. He was smaller than Robert thought babies could be, and weighed in officially at six pounds even and was sixteen inches in length.

The baby was crying frantically, and Robert found his body beginning to sway back and forth automatically, and in that movement, the baby opened his big eyes and stared up at his father. "Hi son, it's your daddy," Robert said quietly, continuing to rock him. The baby calmed down and continued to stare at his father intently as though trying to memorize his face.

"Robert, I want to hold my baby!" Melanie cried, shrilly. Robert tore his gaze away from his son long enough to walk him over to his wife. He placed their son in her arms and kissed her forehead while she clasped the baby to her chest. She began to cry and grabbed Robert's hand. "Look at him," she whispered, sniffling. "He's the most perfect baby in the world." She looked at Robert and tears filled her eyes again. "What are we going to name him?"

After all the time of coming up with a list of names and debating over them, they still had never found one they truly liked. It was definitely the last minute now. Robert looked at his son and reached out with his hand to stroke the cheek closest to him. Suddenly, he remembered a conversation he and Melanie had had back when they were still hiding their relationship. "Paul," he declared as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's Paul."

Melanie looked at her son and smiled. "Hi Paul," she whispered. "I'm your mommy. Welcome to the world."

(SCENE)

Christmas was largely forgotten by the new parents. They spent the day in the hospital, where they had a private room to themselves. Because of the holiday, there weren't many visitors, which suited them just fine. The mothers visited, each taking a turn holding Paul and cooing at him. They declared him adorable and left to clean Robert and Melanie's house for them as a Christmas present when the baby started crying to eat.

Melanie and Robert were nervous to even touch Paul at first, for fear that he'd break. He was so small, but he proved to be quite strong, and didn't break when they picked him up to change his diapers or hold him. He seemed to be quite fond of Melanie, or at least of her breasts, for he had an appetite like a teenage boy, she thought. Paul also liked it when his father held him, which was often. He stopped fussing whenever Robert picked him up. He responded well to the sound of their voices when either of them spoke to him.

Later in the afternoon, Melanie fell asleep, so Robert took Paul on his first walk. They walked down the hall of the maternity ward, and didn't have to deal with too many people as it was nearly deserted. He explained everything they saw as they walked around. When they approached the elevator, it opened, and Dr. Pratt and Dr. Morris walked out of it. "Oh, look at the proud papa!" Pratt exclaimed with a smile. "We stopped by to see the little fella. Morris was pretty jealous that I got to help with the delivery and he didn't."

Robert was bursting with paternal pride that somebody at work wanted to see his child. He walked to a chair near the elevator and sat down, turning Paul out towards them.

"See, didn't I tell you he was an exceptionally beautiful baby?" Pratt said to Morris. "That's the Pratt Touch, you know. All babies I've helped deliver end up being the best-looking ones."

Morris smiled and leaned down for a closer look. "He is cute," he admitted. "He's so small…" He looked closely for a moment before glancing at Robert. "I think he has your wife's nose, but your mouth. Where is your wife? We wanted to congratulate her too."

"She's asleep right now," Robert replied quietly, before rocking Paul and placing his pinkie in his son's mouth to quiet him. He was growing a little fussy. I don't think she wants to see anybody right now. She's very tired and sore. The baby came so fast she didn't have time for an epidural, so she's in a lot of pain still."

"Oh well, congratulate her for us," Morris said just as Paul began to cry. "Well, that's probably our cue to go," he continued while standing to leave. He and Pratt wished Robert a Merry Christmas before returning to the ER.

Robert walked Paul back to their room and the baby's cries instantly woke Melanie. "What? Where is he?" she asked, disoriented and panicking. She could feel herself beginning to leak as she sat up and saw her husband approaching with the baby.

"It's ok, he was with me," Robert replied as he handed her their son and sat down on the bed next to her. He put a pillow behind Melanie's back and helped unbutton her nightgown as she got settled in to feed Paul. Robert watched, fascinated as his son took so naturally to the breast. He reached down and petted his son's cheek. "He's a hungry boy," he murmured before kissing Melanie's cheek.

"Just wait until my real milk comes in," Melanie said quietly, reaching down to run her fingers through Paul's sparse hair. "That'll be the really good stuff."

When Paul was fed, they worked together to burp him, which took some time to figure out. They both thought he looked amusingly adorable when he was finished eating. He looked nearly asleep, and very relaxed, his head lolling back and forth. Melanie held his chin in her hand, and set him on his bottom on her knee while Robert whacked his back until they heard a little burp.

Robert insisted on changing Paul's diaper, saying he needed to practice with the prosthetic. They had decided on disposable diapers after he'd reminded Melanie that working with diaper pins would be very difficult with a prosthetic. Paul was so tiny that even the infant-sized diapers were a little large on him. But eventually, he figured out how to do it, just in time for Dr. Sladen to stop by for a visit.

"Paul's doing wonderfully," she said after finishing her exam. "He appears to be the very picture of a healthy baby."

Melanie smiled and held her arms out for him. "He's perfect, isn't he? He's like a little angel."

"He's very sweet."

"When will we be able to go home?"

"Tomorrow morning, I think," Dr. Sladen replied. "The baby is fine, but _you_ need to get some more rest." She examined Melanie for a couple minutes before declaring her healthy too. "I know you're uncomfortable right now, and you will be for a few weeks, but that's perfectly natural." Melanie thanked Dr. Sladen for visiting on Christmas before the older woman left.

The family was alone for a while after that, and Melanie drifted back to sleep until Elizabeth stopped by with Ella. "Merry Christmas!" Elizabeth whispered as Robert opened the door for them. "I hope we aren't interrupting, but Ella couldn't wait any longer."

Robert looked down to see that Ella was wearing a fluffy pink dress with bows and a sash. She also had matching pink patent leather Mary Janes on her feet. "What a nice outfit, Ella," he said, looking at Elizabeth with a smile.

"Ella said that since this is a birthday party, she needed to dress up," Elizabeth explained while holding out a gift-wrapped box to him.

Robert led Ella to the sink and lifted her up to help wash her hands. "The baby has to stay clean," he explained when they were done and walking to the bed. "Are you ready to meet him? His name is Paul." He lifted her up next to Melanie.

Melanie stirred awake and sat up to greet her guests. "Merry Christmas," she said quietly while holding the tiny bundle out to Ella.

Ella's eyes grew wide as she looked at Paul. "My baby brother is a dolly!" she exclaimed.

Elizabeth chuckled and joined them at the bed. "He is very tiny, Ella, but he's a real baby. You used to be that small too, did you know that?"

"No!"

"It's true. I'll show you pictures tonight," Elizabeth promised. "Do you want to help Robert open the baby's present?"

Ella helped unwrap the box and Robert smiled when he saw a snow globe inside. In the snow globe was a figurine of a little boy who was building a snowman and a slightly larger figurine of the boy's father helping to put the head on top of it. "Thank you," he said, leaning over to hug Elizabeth and Ella in turn. "We'll put this in his room when we get home tomorrow."

Ella whispered something into the baby's ear and nobody ever found out what she'd said, because she refused to say. "It's a secret," she declared. Before leaving, she reached a hand out to pet his hand and kissed his cheek. "I love you Paul," she said as she and her mother left.

Paul decided that he needed to eat again soon after their visitors left and used his strong lungs to express it. "Oh, you'd think I was never going to feed him again," Melanie said wondrously as she settled back in the bed while he ate. "Mommy's not going anywhere, baby boy. Mommy will always be here to feed you." He ate until his tiny stomach was distended and he'd fallen asleep at her breast.

Both Robert and Melanie sat and stared in amazement at the small being they'd brought into the world. They tried to memorize everything about him, from the tiny mole on the back of his right thigh, to the way one of his ears stuck out a bit more than the other. "Just like mine," Robert murmured.

They all fell asleep not long after, though Paul made sure to wake them up several times throughout the night, just to keep things interesting.

(SCENE)

The next day, they were discharged from the hospital around midmorning. Melanie still found it a bit painful to walk, and didn't protest being wheeled out in a wheelchair. She held the baby while Robert held the overnight bag. He'd already packed the car with all the gifts they'd gotten from visitors. He had also set up the car seat in the back of the car.

Before they left, though, Susan ran up to visit with them. "I heard about you guys when I came into work this morning," she said with a grin. "This is the first chance I've had to visit. Oh, he is absolutely precious!"

She and Melanie began to talk babies and birth and Susan held Paul for several minutes before being paged back to the ER. "I have to go, but I'll try to stop by your house soon. I want to spend more time with the little guy. He's just too cute!"

Robert insisted on going through the surgical floor before they left. "Just to see a couple people first," he said nonchalantly. They stopped to say hello to Anspaugh, who Melanie had been too preoccupied to notice had brought Ava to the hospital for them.

"You two should be very proud of yourselves," he said, tickling Paul's cheek. "I'm very happy for you."

The last stop was at Kerry Weaver's office. Robert hoped she'd be in because he wanted nothing more than to rub her face in his accomplishment. Luckily for him, she was. "I heard that you went into labor on Christmas Eve," she said to Melanie while looking at the baby in Robert's arms. He wasn't inclined to let Kerry touch his son, but did want to show him off.

"Yes, Melanie was a champ, of course," Robert replied. "But she does excel in everything she does. It's why I married her."

"Well, I'm very glad that he arrived safely and is perfectly healthy," Kerry said stiffly. Robert walked to the desk that had been his for several years, his son in his hands. "Can I help you, Robert?"

"Oh no, I just wanted to show Paul the place that he was conceived on," Robert said, holding Paul out over the desk for a moment before turning to walk back to Melanie.

The look of horror on Kerry's face was worth every asset he had in the world, and then some. "Robert!" Melanie hissed, flushing bright red.

"Well, see you around, Kerry," Robert said, handing Paul back to Melanie and pushing the wheelchair out the door. He closed the door behind him, and saw Kerry looking down at her desk, looking bewildered.

"Robert, Paul wasn't conceived on that desk," Melanie hissed as they made their way to the elevator.

"I know, but I just couldn't resist," Robert said triumphantly. "I imagine she's now picking out a new desk, seeing as that one will no longer be one she can sit behind."

It was quite an ordeal getting the baby into the car seat. Paul didn't like being strapped down and began to shriek when Melanie accidentally pinned his hand down under the strap. She started to sob while undoing the strap and freeing his hand. When Robert tried to give her advice on how to do it correctly, she screamed at him to stop talking at take her wheelchair back to the hospital. By the time he returned, the baby was safely in the car seat, asleep, and Melanie was sobbing in the passenger seat, her head buried in her arms. Robert tried to remind himself that her hormones were raging out of control and it would be in his best interest to not make an issue out of anything if he could help it.

He wrapped his arm around her and hugged Melanie to him for a few minutes until she stopped crying. He kissed her cheek before she sat back in her seat and put her seatbelt on. "All right, let's go home," he said. "All three of us."

(SCENE)

Robert and Melanie were very happy to see that the mothers had cleaned up the kitchen for them when they arrived home and looked around. All their presents were still under the tree and the stockings on the mantel had been filled, ready to be opened when they found the time. There was a note on the fridge door telling them that the turkey had been taken to Robert's brother's house seeing as they wouldn't need it. Inside the fridge, though, were containers filled with leftovers for them to eat over the next several days.

Robert walked Paul around the house in his carrier and introduced him to all the rooms, taking the most time to walk around his room, showing him the crib and changing table and all the books and toys he could play with when he was old enough for them. "And I'll help teach you how to do all of it," he said before taking Paul out of his carrier and setting him on the changing table. "Let's break this table in, shall we?" he asked before proceeding to change his son's diaper. Melanie stood in the doorway and watched them as they bonded. She tried not to laugh as Robert yelped when Paul projectile peed all over him. He managed to cover Paul with a towel before getting too wet. "Wow, that was impressive," he said as he continued changing the diaper. When Paul was cleaned up, Robert stripped his own shirt off and left it on the table to continue walking his son around the house.

As they walked past Melanie, she reached out and brushed her fingers against Robert's chest. "Did I ever tell you how sexy I find a shirtless man carrying a baby to be?" she asked, joining them on their walk down the hall.

They went into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. Paul was fussy again, so Melanie and Robert helped get him ready to eat. Melanie unbuttoned her shirt and Robert handed her the baby. He rested his chin against her shoulder and looked down at Paul. "You know, that used to be my job," he said wistfully, reaching down and slipping his fingers under the covered up section of Melanie's shirt.

"Robert…" Melanie said before laughing. "We'll get back to that eventually. But for now, this," she pointed to herself, "is closed for maintenance."

Robert frowned before kissing her cheek and settling in next to them. "That's ok," he replied. "I get the feeling we're going to too busy to get busy any time soon."

When Paul was done with his meal, they burped him and set him down on the bed in between them. Melanie sighed and ran her fingers over his onesie. Every time she looked at Paul or thought about him, she was overwhelmed with emotions. She wasn't sure how to do everything yet. Feeding and diaper-changing were coming along, but she was terrified by the very scary idea of bathing him, though she knew that they'd figure it out over time. What she was surprised over, was how much she loved her son. It had begun the moment she'd found out she was pregnant, and had continued to grow during the pregnancy. But now, she felt an overwhelming sense of love and protection for the little baby in front of her. She knew her life would never be the same again, but that everything would work out for the best, as it always seemed to happen in her life. She took Robert's hand and squeezed it as they cuddled together on the bed, holding their son between them.

Robert looked down at Paul and smiled. This was the child he'd sacrificed his arm for. This was the child whose life he'd saved. All the pain and fear and long hours of excruciating physical therapy had been worth it when he saw the result. The love he felt for his son flooded all his senses, like an unexpected assault. He never thought it was possible to love anything so much.

He squeezed Melanie's hand in return as he looked at his family. The family that he never thought he wanted or would ever have. Life could change forever in an instant, but sometimes it changed when one chose one path over another. He was now grateful that he'd chosen to throw caution to the wind and step out of his comfort zone. He'd had nothing left to lose at the time, and now, he'd gained everything he ever needed.

Robert leaned over and kissed Melanie tenderly, and reached his hand out to Paul. He smiled when Paul clasped onto his finger and wouldn't let go.

A/N: This is the last regular chapter of this story. Next Thursday I will post the epilogue and my final thank yous and farewell for this story.


	31. The Ending

October 6, 2011

Robert parked his Jag in the garage and went into the house after a long day at work. "Daddy!" Shouts from his children greeted him upon walking into the living room.

"Daddy's home," he announced, holding his arms out as the youngest children threw themselves into them. He scooped them up and kissed their cheeks while they shrieked with delight. He set them down and sat on the couch to relax for a minute. "How is everybody today?" he asked.

"Good, daddy!" three year old Michael, his middle child, replied as he joined Robert on the couch. "Made butterflies today!"

"Oh, that sounds fun. I'm glad you are enjoying preschool," Robert said, petting Michael's sandy brown curls. "And how are you today, Sophia?" The nearly two year old clapped her hands and began to hop up and down until she lost her balance and fell on her bottom.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed before giggling.

"Your day was that good, huh?" Robert replied, leaning down to help her up again. "Glad to hear it."

Paul, his eldest, stood in front of his father and held out his hand to shake Robert's. "Good evening, father," he said formally.

Robert tried not to chuckle, knowing Paul was earnest in his desire to be treated like an adult. "Good evening, son," he finally replied, shaking Paul's hand. "How did school go today?"

"Very well, father," Paul replied, sitting down next to his father. "I was elected class treasurer today. It's a great honor."

"Wow! Imagine that. My grown up second grade son an elected official. Next thing you know you'll be the head of the Fed!"

"Maybe someday," Paul replied with a grin.

Robert sat back and looked at his children, marveling at how different they all were from each other. Paul, his beloved firstborn, had ended up being more mature than both of his parents. He had been interested in money from a very young age, which he and Melanie had encouraged. He was good at it too, having run a successful bank stand when most kids were trying to sell lemonade. He wasn't afraid to offer financial advice to his father either.

For so long, Robert and Melanie had planned on only one child, but when Paul had been three, and Melanie had almost finished her residency, they changed their minds and tried for a baby and had gotten lucky again. Michael, his sunny, bright, happy child had been the result. Michael had the makings of an artist, something both parents encouraged.

Only a few months after Michael had been born, Melanie had gotten pregnant again. It hadn't been on purpose, but Sophia had been the most wonderful surprise of Robert's life. She was his princess, the spitting image of her mother, but with his intense eyes and a fiery spirit that he sometimes had trouble keeping up with.

A couple months after Sophia had been born, Robert and Melanie had discussed family planning at length. Though Melanie had been sad that there would be no more children, she accepted Robert's decision to get a vasectomy. "I'm pushing fifty, dear. It's just not fair to a child to be so old…And clearly, we are very fertile. This is the responsible thing to do," had been his argument that she'd been unable to argue against.

And so, with three children, Robert thought his family had been nearly complete. He was content with his family, until the day he had taken Paul to the pound to get a kitten last year. He thought that children needed to be taught responsibility and that caring for a pet was the best way to do so. Paul had been itching for more responsibility since he'd been born, and by that time he was old enough to have it.

Melanie had stayed at home with the babies while he and Paul had gone to the pound. Paul loved nothing more than spending time with Robert, and Robert felt he never had enough father/son bonding time with him, so they had a wonderful time.

They had looked at kittens, but when Robert glanced down the hall, he had seen a dog with three legs being led into its cage after returning from its walk with a volunteer. It was a big, friendly-looking golden retriever that barked playfully at him from the end of the hall. Robert had walked over to the dog and smiled at the volunteer. "Who would get rid of such a beautiful dog?" he asked, reaching down to pet it.

"The former owners didn't want to have a disabled animal. They thought it made her less of a pet," the volunteer said sadly. "But she does just fine on three legs and has the sweetest temperament you can imagine. Her name is Sally."

Robert had fallen in love with the dog instantly. He felt a connection, being an amputee himself. He felt outraged that Sally's former owners had just discarded her like she'd been less worthy of love because she had lost a limb. He knew this was the right dog for his family. "Is she good with children?"

"She came from a home with four kids," the volunteer had replied before returning Sally to her cage.

Robert found Paul playing with the kittens in the next room. "How would you like to get a dog instead?" he'd asked casually.

Paul was holding a black kitten with a white nose and frowned. "I don't know, dad," he'd replied slowly. "We said we were coming for a kitten. We should stick with what we decided on." He smiled and scratched the kitten's chin. "I really like this one. I think I'd name him Fe-Line, you know, like 'K-9' from Doctor Who."

Robert smiled at his son's creativity. "All right, let's get Fe-Line," he'd replied before furrowing his brow. "What do you think your mom would say if we got a dog too?"

"I don't know, dad…dogs are a lot of work. You have to feed them and bathe them and take them for walks and clean up after their messes. Besides, they cost a lot of money," Paul replied while cuddling with the kitten. "Dogs are a big responsibility."

"I know, I know," Robert replied with a sigh. He often wondered who the adult was and who the child was when he spent time with Paul. "It's been such a long time since I've had a dog, and this one would be a perfect fit with the family."

Robert dragged Paul down to see Sally and he quickly agreed that she was a very good dog. "She is pretty special," he'd said with a grin as Sally licked his face. And when Fe-Line crawled out of Paul's arms and onto Sally's back and Sally gave him a ride around the room, they knew it was meant to be.

That afternoon, Melanie and the babies were introduced to the pets that would complete the family at long last. She was thrilled about Fe-Line and slightly less thrilled about Sally, but adjusted to life with a dog again rather quickly. She and Robert did have a very long, drawn-out conversation about it that night, however.

Robert was jarred back to reality as Sophia jumped up on his lap, demanding a hug from him. He hugged her, and then played with the kids on the couch for a few minutes before Fe-Line and Sally bounded into the room to greet their master. The last person to join the crowd was Melanie. She had been in the kitchen working on dinner, but was taking a break to greet her husband.

"How was work today?" she asked before leaning down to kiss Robert.

"Eeewwww!" the children cried in unison as they saw their parents kiss.

"Work was good," Robert replied. "We're testing out the latest developments, and they want me to fly out next week to meet with that group of investors in Boston again."

"Oh? That sounds promising."

"Yeah, well, I think they like seeing the results from a person who actually uses the prosthetic and helped design and test it."

Melanie kissed her husband again before walking back towards the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes," she announced. "I want everybody to wash their hands now and come to the table when you're done," she instructed. As she walked into the kitchen to serve dinner, she heard what sounded like a herd of wild elephants trampling through the living room over to the bathroom. Robert helped the babies wash their hands before washing his own. He helped Sophia into her highchair when they were all at the table.

"It's my turn to sit by daddy!" Michael declared loudly, stepping towards the chair to Robert's left. Melanie always sat to his right, and the children took turns sitting on the left.

"My turn! My turn!" Sophia shrieked, her face turning red and Robert could tell she was moments away from a tantrum.

"Mikey, you sat there last night; it's my turn tonight," Paul chimed in.

Sophia began to wail and bang her hands against her highchair table.

Melanie came into the room and settled the matter by directing Paul to sit next to Robert and handed Sophia a cracker to chew on. "Your blood sugar is too low, honey," she said as her family seated themselves. She reached out and petted Michael's curls to console him for having to sit a little further way from his father during the meal.

When they were sitting politely, she brought in the vegetable lasagna she'd made. Sophia clapped her hands and tossed her cracker aside. "Like na-na!" she exclaimed.

Robert began serving his family while Melanie brought in a salad and garlic bread to pass around the table. It took several minutes to plate everything and cut everybody's food, but soon enough, they were eating dinner and talking about the interesting events of their day.

"I drawed two butterflies and they was kissing!" Michael said in between bites of salad.

"What colors were the butterflies?" Robert asked.

"Pink and purple!"

"Your favorite colors." Robert was getting a bit more comfortable with his son's artistic ways, and loved him no matter what Michael ended up being when he grew up. "Well, it sounds like you had a great day! And what did _you_ do today, Sophia?"

"Played dollies," she replied as she picked up a piece of noodle with her fingers and popped it in her mouth.

"Use your fork, Sophia," Robert instructed. He was a stickler for good table manners in his children. "I'm glad you had fun playing with your dolls. You must have played with your friend Margot today, right?"

"Margot!" Sophia cried, referring to the friend's house she spent the day at when her mother had been at work.

"And did you see any interesting patients today?" Robert asked, looking at Melanie with a smile.

"I took care of a man with diabetes, hypertension, _and_ carbuncles," she replied, reaching over and handing Sophia the fork on the highchair table. "And I helped take a penny out of a child's nose, and sutured an lol's cut on her arm. All in all, not a bad day." She worked part-time at a family practice and really enjoyed it. It was a good solution to work part-time while the babies were still so young. When they were in school she'd be able to work full-time.

Robert worked part-time at Motion Control Inc., but on most days that Melanie worked, he stayed home with Sophia and took care of her. Some days, like today, he'd needed to go into work, so his daughter had spent the day at a friend's house. It got tricky sometimes, working out schedules, but they managed to make it work somehow.

"Well, my day was interesting," Robert said, taking a second helping of lasagna. "I had an email from Donald. He and Ava are doing fine and he seems to be enjoying his retirement. He said that he never thought a small town like Astoria would suite him so well, but he really likes it there. He's thinking of taking up fishing as a hobby."

"That's wonderful," Melanie replied as she wiped Sophia's face with her napkin. It had taken her some time to adjust to her mother marrying Donald Anspaugh a few years back, but she'd since gotten used to it and saw how happy her mother was now that she had a companion in her life again.

"He mentioned that the family practice in their neighborhood is closing. I guess the doctor who runs it is retiring, so they'll have nobody there to continue the practice." Robert mentioned this casually, not looking at his wife as he helped cut Michael's lasagna into smaller pieces. Melanie looked up sharply at Robert, her eyes wide. "He also mentioned that there are a few houses on the market near their house. Nice big ones within walking distance of theirs. He said it would be fun to be able to see the grandkids all the time…"

"Robert, maybe we should discuss this later, after the kids are in bed," Melanie said quietly.

"Are we going to move, dad?" Paul asked, looking concerned. "I just got elected treasurer at school…"

"Well, there's a lot to think about, so if we do move, it won't be until after the end of the school year at least," Robert replied.

"Robert, let's talk about this later…"

"Melanie, you deserve this chance. You've worked too hard for too long to not take this opportunity. Think of your career."

"But what about _your_ job?"

Robert shrugged his shoulders. "It's a consulting job; I don't have to be there in person. That's why they invented Skype. And besides, I'm always flying off to conferences, so that wouldn't be any different."

Paul still looked concerned and bit his lip, just as his mother was currently doing. "Will Fe-Line and Sally come with us?" he asked quietly.

"Of course, and all your things will come too." Paul looked relieved and went back to eating his dinner. Robert took a sip of wine before continuing. "Melanie, we can make this work. You know we never intended to stay in Salt Lake City forever. It's why we're renting this house instead of owning it. It'll make moving a lot easier without having to worry about selling a house, especially in this economy."

Paul's eyes lit up. "That's true, mom, that was a very smart move," he replied, feeling a bit more comfortable with something he knew about to focus on. "When you and dad sold the house in Chicago, you got a lot of money for it. It's just been sitting in the bank ever since. And I bet Astoria's housing market is small enough that you could buy a nice, large house and still have a lot of money left over."

"See, Paul's an expert on this stuff. This is your time to move forward in your career," Robert reiterated.

"Oh, all right," Melanie finally said, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I'll think about it."

When dinner was over, Robert and Melanie cleared the table and washed the dishes while the babies played in the playroom. Paul worked on homework and kept an eye on them. "You know, I'm flying out to Seattle next month, after Boston," Robert said as he dried a plate and put it in the cupboard. "I could head down to Astoria on my way back and check out some of those houses…"

Melanie was silent for a while as she scrubbed the lasagna pan. "All right," she replied quietly. "You can email us pictures so we can decide which one we like best. The kids will like that." She was silent again for a minute. "They'd like living closer to their grandparents, I think." And after another minute, she spoke again. "Owning my own practice, that's pretty impressive, I suppose. I do need to step out and take a risk now and then. And think of the people who need a doctor in that community. I mean, that's why I became a doctor—to help people. I suppose it would be the right amount of time, waiting until Paul's school year finishes. I can apply for a license in Oregon, we'll buy a house, and have time to pack and move. The kids will have plenty of time to adjust, though I expect it'll be difficult for Paul to move away from his friends. The babies won't mind as much."

Robert stood back and listened as his wife talked herself into a big change in their lives. He was proud of her for being willing to take such a huge step in her career. He knew she'd be happy back home in Astoria, helping her own community after such a long absence. He was ready for a change too. Though going from Salt Lake City to Astoria would hardly be returning to the hustle and bustle of Chicago, it would still be a nice change of scenery. Besides, he liked the idea of living closer to the ocean. He might take up fishing with Donald in his spare time. Maybe he and the kids could try it out together.

When the dishes were done, they walked to the playroom. "All right, guys, it's snuggle time," Melanie called out. Snuggle time was a nightly ritual that had started when Paul had been born and Robert wanted to spend more time with him after a long day at work. And when Paul was older and Robert had retired from County General in order for Melanie to return to school, she had wanted to spend time with him too. So, every evening, they gathered on the couch and spent time holding him before bed. Usually it put Paul right to sleep, and when the other children had come along, they'd been added to the mix. The children loved it, and so did their parents. The TV was turned off, classical music was turned on, and nobody talked. Most evenings, Robert and Melanie had to carry the babies upstairs to put them to bed because they fell asleep in their arms.

Tonight, however, Paul decided he was too old for snuggle time. "It's for babies," he complained. But he did sit on the couch with his family, and read the financial section of the newspaper quietly. Melanie felt sad that her firstborn child no longer wanted to take part in what to her was a sacred family ritual.

Robert held Sophia in his arms and rocked her quietly, while Michael was firmly wedged in between both parents, with his arms wrapped around Melanie's waist. She ran her fingertips through his hair and massaged his scalp, something he loved. This was Robert's favorite part of the day, because they were all together and nobody fought or squabbled over anything. It was so peaceful. The babies fell asleep soon afterwards, and the parents walked upstairs to put them to bed, leaving Paul downstairs, reading.

After changing Sophia into her nightgown and putting her in her crib, Robert went back downstairs and joined Paul, who was now seated at the kitchen table, drinking a glass of milk. "Where's mom?" he asked as his father sat down across from him.

"Taking a shower after putting Michael to bed," Robert replied before looking at his son closely. "Is everything all right?"

Paul sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just not so sure about moving," he confessed. "It'll be good for mom, but I don't want to leave my school or my friends…"

Robert reached out and petted Paul's hand. "I'm sorry that this will be the most difficult for you," he replied. "It isn't easy having to leave your friends behind and start all over again. Believe me, I know. When we moved here I left behind a lot of friends, and all my family, in Chicago. I still miss them. But we stay in touch. They've all moved away too, but the internet is a wonderful way to stay connected. If Facebook would stop changing all the time…But it's still a nice way to keep up to date with people."

Paul sighed and shrugged his shoulders again. "But what about my girlfriends, dad? I'll miss them."

Robert frowned for a moment. "Do you mean your friends who are girls, or actual girlfriends?"

"Real girlfriends, dad. I have the most of any boys in class." Paul looked so earnest that Robert was rendered speechless for a moment.

"How many do you have?"

"There's Cara, she's my lunch girlfriend," Paul replied. "She always brings an extra cupcake for dessert to share with me. And then there's Jessica, she's my recess girlfriend. We hold hands over by the monkey bars. But I like Emily the most. She's my study girlfriend. We work on projects together and she has this curly red hair that smells like peaches, dad. Peaches! I think she looks just like River Song," he said, referring to a character on his favorite television show.

Robert's jaw dropped open. How could it be that his seven-year-old son had three girlfriends? "Are you serious about any of them?" he asked faintly.

"Well, I suppose it's a bit early to discuss marriage with them, but I'm keeping myself open to the idea."

"You'll have the rest of the school year to spend with them, but then you'll have to say goodbye to them. Or perhaps you can see if you can try a long-distance relationship with them. But, I must say, Paul, I feel I need to point out that _three_ girlfriends at one time is a bit much. Do they know about each other? It's bound to hurt somebody's feelings…"

"You think so? They always seem to fight over me. I'm only Jessica's recess girlfriend because she punched me in the shoulder and told me to be her boyfriend. That was last week. And Cara has been my lunch girlfriend for a couple days now. Maybe I should break it off with them."

"It would be best not to lead them on," Robert advised sagely.

"That just leaves Emily," Paul sighed. "Maybe we can tweet to each other when I move to Oregon." He drained the last of his milk before walking to the kitchen door to leave. "Thanks for the talk, father, I feel a lot better now."

"That's what I'm here for, son." Paul looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling. "What?" his father asked curiously.

"I suppose they have girls in Astoria too," he said brightly before leaving to go up to his room.

Robert shook his head and put Paul's cup in the sink. He locked up the house and turned off the lights before joining Melanie in their bedroom. "Did you know your son has three girlfriends?" he asked while changing into his pajamas.

"Oh, it's all harmless, really," Melanie replied. "They seem to pair off quite a bit in his class, but it's nothing more than friendship, really."

"Do I need to have 'the talk' with him? I'll do it, but it just seems like seven is a bit young for that. But they say kids are growing up faster and faster nowadays…"

"I think he's fine," Melanie replied sensibly. "If he comes to you with questions, definitely answer them, but I'd wait until he was at least ten before you have the official 'talk' unless it just sort of happens on accident sometime."

Robert sighed and began to take off his prosthetic for the night. His stump was aching slightly after such a long day wearing it. "I never thought a son of mine would be so popular with the ladies," he murmured.

"Why not? He's very cute _and_ sensitive, it's a killer combination." Melanie was silent for a while, watching as Robert took off his prosthetic and rubbed lotion into the stump with his good hand. After a minute, she furrowed her brow. "Is it cruel of us to make him move away?" she asked quietly.

Robert walked to the bed and looked down at his wife. "We're doing the right thing," he said while slipping into the bed.

Melanie lay down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he settled in on top of her. "I hope so," she whispered in his ear before he kissed her. They kissed for some time before he made love to her. She loved this feeling, of Robert's weight pressing her down, like an anchor. It made her feel safe and secure. She knew they would make the right decisions for their family, and the familiar comfort Robert brought to her body went a long way to make her feel confident about the future.

After they'd finished making love, they lay in bed together, talking about moving. Melanie wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his strong, muscular chest. She listened to the comforting sound of his heartbeat and closed her eyes. "It'll be scary, but we'll be a family. And I always feel brave when you're around to cheer me on," she murmured.

Robert ran his fingers through her hair and leaned down to kiss her. They kissed for a couple minutes before the sound of Sophia, crying, came into the room through her baby monitor. He did his best to ignore it for another minute, until Michael's cries joined in through his baby monitor. He pulled away from Melanie and sighed. "I put Sophia to bed, so I'll go see what Michael wants," he offered, standing up and putting his pajamas on again.

Melanie slipped into her nightgown. "Sophia probably needs a diaper change," she said. "And I bet Mikey won't let you go back to bed until you've sung the Oscar Mayer song."

"He does love that lullaby the most," Robert said as they walked out of their bedroom and down to the babies' rooms. "And it is my specialty after all." He leaned over to kiss Melanie quickly before they opened the doors to go into the rooms. "Well, I'll see you later," he said with a smile before walking into Michael's room.

Fin

A/N: Last December I got the idea into my head that I should attempt to rewrite a story, so I looked at the first one I ever wrote, an ER story about Dr. Romano, and decided that was the one. It was short; I figured it wouldn't take more than a month or so to rewrite it. It's now October and I have finally finished it…Thank you all for joining me on this long, but very joyful journey. I have loved every second of writing this story and am terribly sad that it's over. I hope I managed to give Dr. Romano an ending he deserved, rather than the one he received on the show. I can't promise that I'll write more ER fanfiction, but I always say "Never say never". If an idea pops into my head, I'll run with it, but for now I actually have an original story idea that I am going to work on in hopes of getting it published one day. I'll wrap up this note now by saying thank you all once again, and perhaps, until next time!

-Foodie


End file.
